Fitness

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Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong)

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

“I like getting stronger with squats, but they don’t work my glutes,” she said. She went on to perform a set of barbell squats and my initial assumption was correct: she wasn’t squatting correctly. That is why she thinks “squats don’t build glutes.” It wasn’t the exercise that was the problem; it was her execution of the […]

Disliking your body a little less

July 13, 2015 By Pixie

“Ugh, I hate my thighs.” “I hate seeing this flab on my stomach.” “I need to work out more because I hate how my arms look in tank tops.” Ask almost any woman if there’s a part of her body she’d like to change or improve and you’ll likely receive an immediate reply. Perhaps you’ve said something […]

Forget Fat Loss

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

The goal of fat loss isn’t (usually) the problem. It’s the mindset that often evolves from a seemingly never-ending fat loss pursuit. Fat loss isn’t executed as a simple objective, structured process that lasts for a designated time — it gradually morphs into a definitive, emotionally-fueled, all-consuming infinite lifestyle. This unrelenting, long-term focus on fat […]

The Chocolate Protein Shake That Actually Tastes Like a Milkshake

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

How many times have you tried a “healthy” recipe that boasted it tastes just like the real thing! only to be immensely disappointed…again? My list of never-make-this-food-abomination-again recipes is a lengthy one; I don’t care if it’s healthier than the original recipe it impersonates because if it tastes terrible, it’s not worth eating. Plus, that perpetuates the […]

Remarkable “Before & Afters” That Have Nothing to do With Fat Loss

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

What do the majority of women’s fitness before and after photos have in common? They’re all about weight loss—someone was “bigger” in the before photo, and they’re smaller (or at least leaner) in the after. Not that there’s anything wrong with people wanting to lose weight to improve their health, feel more confident, or to […]

How to Make Goblet Squats Harder Without Adding More Weight

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

Goblet squats are an excellent exercise. When executed properly, they train the legs, glutes, and abdominals in one efficient squatting movement. Goblet squats are my go-to exercise for teaching the squatting movement to strength training beginners. Once a trainee gets quite strong with goblet squats, however, their one glaring drawback is revealed–the awkwardness of progressively loading […]

The Huge Problem With Guilty-Pleasure Foods

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

“What are your favorite guilty-pleasure foods?” the interviewer posed. “I don’t have ‘guilty pleasures,’” I retorted before continuing, “I refuse to experience guilt or shame from eating food.” My answer was received with a stunned silence. Clearly this wasn’t a response she’d ever received to the common, playful question. And I had just sucked all […]

The Nocebo Effect: Are You (Unknowingly) Thinking Your Way to Failure?

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

A patient taking part in an experiment is told her new medication may have symptoms such as nausea, stomach pains, and loss of appetite. Four weeks later when she revisits her doctor for a checkup she complains of nausea, stomach pains, and loss of appetite. “The side effects from this medication are terrible,” she groaned. […]

Break Free from the Ugly Side of Health and Fitness

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

The health and fitness industry has done a fantastic job of making women dislike their bodies, and themselves. Browse the health section at your local bookstore, scroll through social media feeds of fitness professionals, glance at fitness magazines in the checkout aisle of the grocery store. It’s abundantly clear what modern health and fitness is […]

Disordered Eating No Longer Controls Me, But That Doesn’t Mean I Never Struggle

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

I’m no longer captive to disordered eating. But that doesn’t mean I never struggle or feel the tug of old, destructive habits. Like a scar from a sutured wound leaves a permanent reminder of the event, so too did my stint with obsessive eating habits create a lasting mark on me. It fades with time, […]