Ep19. Fitness and Nutrition Lies We Used to Believe (And You Probably Still Do)

You FINALLY reached that health goal you've been working so hard to achieve and a few weeks or months later… something doesn't' feel right...

You find yourself feeling like you're drifting aimlessly now with your health and fitness and old habits and patterns are starting to creep back in. The one's you thought you had eliminated for good.

Slowly but surely, you're back to where you once were, setting the same goal, and your brain is excited to now pursue this goal because you've done it before but… did this have to happen in the first place?

This is exactly the road I felt like I was going down after my hormone healing journey recently and my Instagram stories sparked today's episode!

We'll discuss why it is so important to have an exciting goal after reaching one, what intentionally actually is when it comes to your health and your actions, why our brains are wired this way and how to combat it, and more!

Time Stamps:

(0:32) Recovery Modalities

(2:50) What Sparked This Episode

(4:18) My Previous Hormonal Dysfunction

(6:25) Having Goals For What’s Next

(8:48) Last Week’s Steps

(11:53) Defining Intentionality

(23:15) Let Us Know If This Was Helpful

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Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

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Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

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Today's guest is a dream come true and we can't wait for you to hear this conversation...

Sal Di Stefano started as a professional in the fitness industry as a trainer at the age of 18. His passion for fitness combined with his love of people quickly propelled him into big box gym management by the time he was 19 years old. During his career in gym management he grand opened some of the largest gyms in the California Bay Area and was often recognized as a top performer in sales, production and team leadership earning him accolades from top industry leaders.

After decades of running his studio he met Doug the current producer of Mind Pump and shortly after he met Adam Schafer and Justin Andrews. They quickly hit it off due to their different backgrounds but similar approaches to fitness and health and they decided to start a fitness and health podcast. Mind Pump was launched and quickly became the number one fitness and health podcast in the world.

Currently Sal is one of the most sought after experts in fitness and health with his effective, grounded and easy to understand style of communication. He has been on hundreds of top podcast shows and frequently speaks at trainer and health practitioner events. His passion for fitness, health and people is unmatched and he is steadfast with his goal of making the fitness industry one that is a force for good, with long term health being the focus and not one that is riddled with diet pills, crash diets and false promises.

Sal does a really incredible job of sharing the raw truths of how to build a lean, toned body with science and facts, but in a way that is also digestible and not intimidating for beginners, which is why we are so excited to have him on the podcast live with us today.

Time Stamps:

(1:08) Dream Come True Guest Today

(5:22) Exercising Because You Love Your Body

(16:02) Selling Ethically

(21:06) People Want Trustworthiness

(23:32) Not Adding To The Shame Spiral

(25:37) Food Isn’t Just Fuel

(28:02) Client Example and Finding Root Cause

(35:20) A Good Coach Is a Guide

(41:32) Top of Mt. Everest and Challenges

(49:32) Diets Becoming Politicized

(52:32) Where To Find Sal and Mindpump

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Follow @mindpumpdistefano on Instagram

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

I can't wait for you to hear this conversation with a graduated client who is thriving now and keeping the 25lbs she lost off and she's been able to do that with her mindset.

Kat Glover is a past client and worked with our Coach Kat. Kat worked with us for about a year and a half and she graduated from our Forever Fit program last May. She was an incredible client and made incredible physical progress, but the real star of the show was her mindset growth and her improvements in relationship with food/exercise. She has done a phenomenal job maintaining her results too! 

When Kat first came to us for coaching, she was doing all the “right” things on paper.  She was no stranger to being active. She was a competitive swimmer growing up, started running marathons after college and even completed her first Ironman that year. Kat was frustrated she had the foundational knowledge from her nutrition degree but still couldn't figure out what to do to get the physical results she wanted. 

She did weight watchers for a short period of time- but it created more of that good/bad food mentality. Despite being very active and eating “healthy”, she got to her highest weight. Kat was tired of being stuck in a cycle of viewing food as “good” or “bad” and not feeling confident when she looked in the mirror.

Kat knew there was a piece of the puzzle she was missing and that’s why she came to us.

During her first three months, Kat:

-Went through our Flexible Reverse Dieting System

-Increased her calories by nearly 400 per day

-Slowly started introducing previously “off limits” foods 

-Was doing less cardio and only resistance training 3 days per week

-Focused more on sleep and stress management

During those 3 months, Kat:

-Noticed clothes were fitting better

-Saw more muscle definition

-Consistently set PRs in the gym

-Got more comfortable visualizing portion sizes

-Felt confident practicing intuitive eating

-Completely transformed her mindset around nutrition and exercise 

Ultimately, she felt more freedom when it came to eating and moving her body!

After that she continued into our Forever Fit program, and lost 25lbs while eating more and running less.

During the time she was a client, she made a huge move to NYC! While she was adjusting to her new life in a brand new city, she gave herself more opportunities to practice intuitive eating. Kat spent the first year of coaching building her foundation with tracking, and because of that, she was able to feel empowered to confidently navigate her nutrition goals without having to rely on tracking in MFP! 

She has come so far along with her relationship with food, moving away from the all or nothing mindset, and finding her version of balance! 

Now, whether she is tracking or not, she feels confident in her ability to make intentional nutrition decisions and she notices she naturally gravitates towards staying hydrated, prioritizing protein, adding a fruit or vegetable, and listening to her hunger and fullness cues!

Listen in as we talk about her experience, some initial hesitations as she started with the program, non-scale victories, moving to NYC and her food relationships, and more!

Time Stamps:

(2:23) Kat Before VGFN

(4:41) Starting with Coach Kat

(8:33) Initial Hesitations

(11:38) Overcoming Cutting Out Cardio

(21:39) Non-Scale Victories

(25:05) Moving to NYC and Food Relationships

(31:55) Final Thoughts

(33:27) Please Share This Episode

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Follow @kat_glo_ on Instagram 

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Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

If you feel like you're doing everything right in the gym and still not seeing the results you want, you probably fall into one of two categories...

The first category is you are training too much with the wrong volume and intensity. We see this a lot with women taking several group classes a week along with their regular training and they aren't giving their body time to recover and heal. 

Muscle is initially broken down in the gym and built back up through nutrition, sleep, and recovery but many women get this concept backwards. 

The other category is not training enough and therefore, can't create a proper stimulus to see lean muscle and definition. It may feel like you are training and putting in a sweat but you potentially have many reps in reserve during your lifts, too long of rest periods in between sets, and/or you are not getting enough training volume to certain muscle groups per week to see progress.

In this episode, we want to break down these two categories in depth, explain why sticking to a plan for at least 3 months will be the best decision you can make for yourself, and share our FREE 3 day a week training program with you!

Time Stamps:

(1:38) Recording On Valentine’s Day

(1:50) Omar Getting Flowers… Day Of

(2:28) Omar’s Defense

(3:22) Why Your Workouts Aren’t Working

(4:32) 2 Main Reasons

(5:35) Training Too Much and Under Recovered

(8:07) Junk Volume

(10:20) Imagine This Scenario

(11:55) Intensity Issues

(13:05) Not Training Enough or Hard Enough

(16:38) Which Category Do You Fall In?

(17:51) Free 3 Day a Week Strength Training Program

(19:32) Free Program Results

(20:60) Please Share This Episode

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

I saw a message getting shared on Instagram recently making the claim that: “ANYONE who tracks their calories / macros has a BAD RELATIONSHIP with food”...

So I wanted to give our thoughts having worked with hundreds of women, many through tracking, many coming to us with negative relationships with food, and answer the question…

DOES tracking calories/macros create a bad relationship with food?

Hot take: No.

That would be like saying that budgeting your finances creates a bad relationship with money.

Tracking, like tracking anything, is a tool.

Your relationship to the thing in which you are tracking has nothing to do with that tool, and everything to do with the way you THINK about it. Because your thoughts create your feelings. And your feelings about it are what we’re often referring to when we say your “relationship” with it.

To make a blanket statement that ANYONE who budgets their food to ensure they are sticking to their goals has a bad relationship with food is absurd.

Listen in as we dissect more of this controversial claim, the art of flexibility with your food, freedom through food education and awareness, and more!

Time Stamps:

(2:00) Calorie Tracking Claim on Social Media

(3:20) Tracking Is Like Budgeting

(6:50) Why You Would Track Calories

(10:30) Defining Momentum

(15:20) The Art of Flexibility

(19:02) Freedom Through Education and Awareness

(21:42) Eating “Clean” But Not Seeing Progress

(25:32) Being Tied To MyFitnessPal

(31:12) Tracking and Your Process of Interpretation

(34:17) Our Free Facebook Group

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

An unhealthy gut creates many health issues and can cause mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.

Recent research has shown what those with gut issues already know, that there is a connection between gut health and mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. 

It's not a coincidence, it's grounded in science. 

The gut, often referred to as the "second brain" houses trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiota. 

These tiny little guys play a pivotal role in regulating the production of neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, which are crucial for mood regulation. 

When the balance of these microorganisms is disrupted—whether due to poor diet, chronic stress, or gut inflammation—it can lead to an altered gut-brain axis, a critical communication pathway between the gut and the central nervous system. 

This disruption can trigger or exacerbate mental health conditions.

In today's episode, we want to discuss and cover some of the issues I went through during my gut healing journey, how those issues and symptoms affected my relationship, why keeping this a constant focus and priority in your life is essential, and more!

Time Stamps:

(1:18) Just Got Back From Fort Lauderdale

(3:25) For My Ladies Wanting to Improve Mentally

(5:01) Coming Back From Our Ski Trip With A Bug

(12:40) Omar’s Perspective

(15:27) The Importance Of Your Gut Health

(19:16) Gut Permeability

(26:57) Food Sensitivity

(30:21) Defining Embarrassing Gas

(33:09) Our Free Facebook Group

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

It's around that time of year when New Year's Resolutions, particularly one's around fat loss, start to lose their momentum...

We want to keep you on track and inspired so today's episode is actually a replay of our most popular episode to date on the Vanessa G Fitcast!

In this episode, we share the six secrets to fat loss that I wish someone had told me before I started my own fat loss journey so many years ago. 

I had to learn all of these the hard way... and if I had just understood these 6 secrets from the beginning, I would’ve reached my goals so much sooner! 

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

I’m not going to just tell you how to fix the SYMPTOMS of a cortisol imbalance, because only fixing symptoms is like plugging the sink but leaving the water running. 

We have to make simple swaps over time to help your body naturally heal itself.

I’m also not going to tell you to take certain supplements.

Adrenal supplements taken by one person may make another person's condition much worse.

And supplements will do nothing for you if you have not addressed lifestyle factors first. 

If you continue to stress the body with your lifestyle, nothing will happen when you take supplements. Some examples of lifestyle stressors are nutrient deficiencies, overtraining, mold exposure, alcohol intake, extreme job stress, and other health issues. 

Sometimes supplements aren’t even needed, simply making lifestyle adjustments alone will be sufficient to alleviate symptoms for a lot of women.

In today's episode, we are going to discuss my top 8 ways to balance your cortisol through lifestyle changes and habits. Let me know which ones you will start incorporating!

Time Stamps:

(1:25) Last Week’s Episode

(3:02) Simple Approaches

(7:27) #1: Calm and Quiet Environment

(8:57) Omar’s Foam Earplugs

(10:12) #2: Set Screen Limits

(12:06) #3: Soothing Music

(13:40) #4: Stay Grateful and Positive

(15:33) #5: Increase Water Intake and Electrolytes

(17:48) #6: Eating More

(19:27) #7: Prioritizing Rest and Recovery

(20:04) #8: Incorporating More Play Time

(24:47) Getting Your Life and Body Back Through Vital Spark

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

The women who are often in the WORST position are the ones who have been conditioned to living in “fight or flight”. 

It feels normal... they might even thrive off pressure and “perform better”.

I’m talking to you high achievers....

Trouble is, regardless of whether or not you FEEL stressed, it’s all the same to your body...

There’s only so much your body can take before it will start shutting down (Adrenal Fatigue or HPA Axis dysfunction), and FORCE you to slow down.

And by that stage... it’s a bit late. It’s going to take you a lot longer to recover. Absolutely not impossible, but the journey can feel tedious and frustrating.

In this episode, I want to share with you 13 specific signs that your cortisol might be out of balance and share my experiences with these signs. In next week's episode, we'll talk more about what to do if you have these issues but it all starts with awareness.

Time Stamps:

(1:32) My Adrenal Fatigue and Finally Feeling Recovered

(2:47) Empathy For This Issue

(6:05) Weirdly Specific Signs of Adrenal Fatigue

(7:02) Twitching Eyelids

(8:25) Noise Sensitivity

(9:52) Compulsive Checking

(12:09) Not Being Hungry in the Morning

(12:22) Intense Sugar or Salt Cravings

(15:14) Muscle Cramps and Aches

(16:45) Brain Fog

(17:56) Poor Short Term Memory

(19:07) Don’t Feel Like Talking to People

(22:42) Nightmares

(23:50) Feeling Sick After Exercising

(25:26) Round Puffy Face

(27:59) My #1 Piece of Advice Through Healing

(28:42) Next Week’s Episode

(29:16) Please Share This Message With Others

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!

Today's guest and coach has been through chronic stress, hormone imbalances, and found healing through holistic approaches and yoga...

Today we have on a very special guest, miss Connie Sanchez!

Connie is a registered dietitian nutritionist, Integrative and Functional Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Yoga Teacher, Experienced in Gym Trainer⁣, and one of our incredible 1-on-1 expert coaches here at Vital Spark (more to come on our recent rebranding!).

She has an incredible background with her own journey and I'm so excited to share her and her story with you today!

We discuss how Connie first got started in fitness, the role of stress and 11 years of resilience, finding yoga and why it's so powerful, and more!

Time Stamps:

(1:15) Our Incredible Assistant Coach Connie

(2:08) How Connie Got Started in Fitness

(6:35) Completing Schooling

(10:52) The Role of Stress and 11 Years of Resilience

(15:54) The Power of Yoga

(23:04) Where To Start with Yoga

(25:58) Final Thoughts

---------------------

Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. 

---------------------

Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program

---------------------

Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!

---------------------

​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!

---------------------

Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!

---------------------

Check out our Youtube Channel!

---------------------

Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!