Lexircise

2020 has been an incredibly strange, and challenging year. I’m taking a moment in this year-end reflection post to be PROUD of everything that I accomplished despite the adversity this year. In 2020.... @coach_rima_kamra and I grew the @ladythefup team from 3 coaches to 9, hosted 5 successful 60 Day Challenges, 2 team photoshoots with @light.shadow.photo; and collectively through challenges and 1-on-1 coaching @ladythefup has helped HUNDREDS of women become the best versions of themselves in the most difficult year of our lives. I self-coached myself to winning the WBFF Virtual Wellness Pro Division in June, training entirely at home during the lockdown. I landed my first magazine cover for the September edition of @thebarbellbox. I spent the summer compiling 3 years of learning & nutritional education from @drrobertpastore into my 30 Day Gut Reset program and truly stepping into my coaching niche of food reactions & digestive health. I finally took the leap & got a breast augmentation (& have zero regrets) I launched my Youtube channel. I took a 60 hour Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Course. I set boundaries with people to protect my mental health, and it’s better then ever. My long-term boyfriend and I bought our dream home in Barrie, Ontario. & truly, I’ve never been happier. To everyone who has been a part of my year - friends, colleagues, coaches, clients, occasional Intsagram DM-ers - THANK YOU for making this year one to remember! My final thoughts on the final day of 2020. Your current circumstances are the results of decision and actions taken (or NOT taken) in the past. They do not define you. They don’t determine where you can do. they simply determine where you start. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

https://youtu.be/SkwAuqB3Pv4

@ladythefup client spotlight - CHARISSA from Grande Prairie, Alberta! In the past, Charissa had tried Keto, day-long fasting, and Isagenix with no long-term changes. She was tired of trying things that didn’t work for her, and was ready to commit to a true LIFESTYLE change! ... We started working together for the January 2020 @ladythefup 60 Day Challenge. She decided she would go meatless for 2020, and has been vegetarian our entire time together. As you can see, plant-based protein sources haven’t stopped us from hitting adequate protein intake to build muscle this year! Charissa was also in an unfortunate car accident that led to post concussive syndrome and some lower back/disc pain, both of which I live with day-to-day too, which allowed us to connect on a deeper level and for her programming to be tailored specifically to HER needs & limitations. She saw incredible progress in the 60 days between January and March, and decided she wasn’t done yet! With the goal of continued body recomposition and increasing her metabolic rate in mind, we got to work! We worked together through the lockdowns, the gym closures, the gym re-openings, her returning to her active job 8-12 hours/day. Her calories have increased from 1400/day at the end of the challenge in March, up to 2200-2600/day now. She chose to end this transformative year with a goal of a photoshoot. Her prep for the shoot wasn’t anything too drastic - we kept calories above 2200 the entire time and created a deficit through increased cardio. The best part of all? THE CONFIDENCE she has now!! One of my favourite messages from her the day of her photoshoot: I’m feeling very proud today. Come a long way - not just on the outside but how I’m doing inside :) Cheers to YOUR 2020 Charissa! It’s been a shit year for a lot of people, but you chose to rise to the challenge, and I’m so incredibly proud of the TOTAL transformation you’ve undergone.

For my sensitive-gut people out there - when a family member won’t stop pushing holiday treats on you to either eat or take home, use this ONE simple phrase! You KNOW you react to the food - whether that’s gluten, or dairy, or eggs (or anything else) but your family doesn’t get it... You can try to educate them on food intolerances and allergies, but unless it’s severe enough to break out an epi-pen, your family still likely won’t understand enough to take you seriously. Rather than stressing out about educating your family and fighting with them, state: I appreciate the thought, but eating this will make me ill No need to go into further detail. The holidays are about giving. Many people show their love through food and baked goods, But no one wants to pressure someone into eating something that makes them feel sick! Eating this will make me ill ^ practice this line now, so you’re prepared in the future.

The biggest congratulations go out to my Lady The F Up client Ashley for placing second in the IDFA Universe 2020 Virtual Competition this past weekend! Ashley had lost weight on her own in the past, But struggled with the on-off / lose-gain cycle most women never escape. ... Lockdown earlier this year halted her progress entirely, She became complacent ...until she decided enough was enough. It was time to put HER first. She came to Lady The F Up in August weighing 207lb Just wanting to feel better about herself and form healthy habits that STUCK! After seeing some good progress our first month together, she decided she wanted a goal to work towards and chose the IDFA Transformation division on December 13th, 2020. I was honest with her. Stepping on a competition stage... It wasn’t going to be easy, But it would be SO worth it. Ashley is a single mom. She works 10-12 hour shifts. But she didn’t let that stop her. She never complained. EVER. She did everything I asked of her, no matter what it took. She would come home on her work breaks to get her workouts in. Late nights, early mornings. Sacrifices for her goals. FOR HER! She embodies EVERYTHING that LadyTheFUp is about. In 4 months, she has lost over 30lb and is COMFORTABLE IN HER OWN SKIN! She achieved goals she doubted were ever possible, She is a better role model for her daughter, and she truly does love herself now! Although COVID put a delay in Ashley’s goals of stepping on a physical competition stage, this process showed her WHO she is, WHAT she can achieve, And what is possible in the future. I’ve just uploaded my VERY FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO with Behind the Scenes footage from the day which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/7Efk80DGT1M This is JUST the beginning Ashley Looking forward to what 2021 brings for us

You’re pretty sure that dairy doesn’t agree with you. So you buy the lactose free Greek yogurt & lactose free whey protein. & despite making those changes, you’re still not feeling good. ... LACTOSE FREE DOES NOT MEAN DAIRY FREE!! Lactose is a milk SUGAR found in dairy. For most people, beyond breastfeeding we stop making a sufficient amount of the enzyme lactase that helps break lactose down, because from an evolutionary standpoint we no longer need it. BUT dairy has MANY components besides lactose, and most people are reacting to the proteins within dairy like whey & the casein protein group (there are 4 main types, and you can react to just one of them) rather than lactose . + there is no governing regulation about what can be labelled as lactose free (SWIPE to read straight from the FDA). The majority of the time companies being able to label their product as lactose free just means LESS lactose, not none! While some people may just be lactose intolerant, most are really DAIRY intolerant or have a mild milk allergy, and lactose free products are still dairy! I spent about 6 months of my life when I first learned about my dairy intolerances wondering why I was still gassy and breaking out - it was all because of my lactose free Greek yogurt. I’ve given up dairy yogurts entirely, but coconut yogurt is a decent alternative If you’re unsure if dairy is a digestive stressor for you, my 30 Day Gut Reset eBook with educations videos was designed to help you understand WHAT symptoms to look for and HOW to find out! Link in bio, or send me a DM to learn more!

You get one life, and one body for that life. I’m a firm believer in loving your body, but in my eyes loving your body means TAKING CARE of it, not accepting & being content with your unhealthy habits and lifestyle. We all live busy lives where EVERYTHING else is so much more important than taking the time to make healthy meals at home and/or spending a few hours exercising each week. ... But those top priorities can be taking YEARS off your life, and when you’re on your death bed, will those priorities REALLY matter? Your HEALTH should be your top priority - for you, your partner, your children and everyone that you love. It’s reported that more than 60% of women areobeseoroverweight. You’ve heard time and time again that obesity is directly related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer - some of the leading causes of **preventable, premature death.** Obesity is so much more prevalent now than even 40 years ago. It's a combination of increased food availability, bigger portions, and more highly-processed & high-calorie foods because taste matters way more than quality and nutrients . And then you add in more screen time (which averages 4-6 hours A DAY for most) where you’re sitting down and barely moving your body (with night-time mindless snacking on top of that). STOP BEING LAZY. If you are not changing your habits to become healthier, you are CHOOSING to take years off of your life. All you have to do is START. If you fail, you can ALWAYS try again. If you’re not sure where to start, accept that! It’s OKAY not to know!! There is so much information on what’s best but the truth is, it VARIES for everyone. At @ladythefup we take the guess work out entirely, so you can focus on DOING the work and seeing the progress you deserve!

@ladythefup client spotlight: MARISSA! This is FIVE MONTHS OF WORK! Prior to us working together, @rissashley spent the better part of a decade feeling TERRIBLE - always bloated, always had pain, terrible brain fog, terrible mood swings, migraines, awful menstrual cycle cramps. She was told by doctors that she was going to be miserable for the rest of my life. ... She was also told by medical professionals that she had IBS, stress-related issues, and that she was unable to digest meat or animal protein (which we now know was caused by her multiple severe food reactions reducing digestive enzyme production). They recommended she follow a vegan diet, so she did for 5 years, and NOTHING changed. This was going to be her new normal and she had to suck it up and live like this... NOPE! Fast-forward to today, and Marissa is down 42lb and 46 1/2 inches since June 21st, 2020. Her waist went from 38 inches to 29.5 inches (a lot of internal inflammation gone + a ton of fat loss) HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE IN JUST 5 MONTHS? CONSISTENT HARD WORK - she’s completed everything I asked of her 100% every single week. [She’s also friends with @ladythefup 60 Day March 2020 Challenge Winner Emily @eamikel, and I can tell because these 2 share the same no-quit mindset.] We identified the TRIFECTA of food reactions - gluten, dairy AND eggs, as well as a few artificial dyes often found in candy and sports drinks/powders. Every medical issue she had before we started no longer exist. She’s eating a lot of animal protein, and can digest it fine! Her calories have NEVER been lower than 1850 per day, and we’re now slowly working our way back UP to 3000/day while continuing to see positive changes - growing the booty while leaning out! Marissa is one of the biggest supporters in the @ladythefup community and played a key role in bringing the women of our last 60 day challenge together. THANK YOU for your dedication Marissa. Let’s see where another 5 months of consistent hard work will take us!

When was the last time you saw your doctor? Not because something was wrong, but because you wanted to make sure everything was right? Just because you’re not coughing up a lung, or not in chronic pain... .doesn’t mean you’re healthy! You could just be generally fatigured every day. Or struggling with sleep. Or your hair/nails are thin/brittle (despite those hair gummies). Get bloodwork done. I do mine roughly every 6 months. Learn what nutrients you’re deficient in. If your hormones are within normal range. If your thyroid is functioning the way it should. If there’s internal inflammation you were unaware of. My 30 Day Gut Reset Program lists all the tests to request from your physician. Addressing those can make a BIG difference in your day to day life, mood & energy levels!

Thanksgiving dinner tips! For my fellow Canadians with upcoming Thanksgiving dinner(s) this weekend, it is 100% YOUR CHOICE if you chose to stay on-plan 100% or have a slightly off day. BUT holidays are not an excuse to binge and eat like an asshole ... If you do chose to participate inThanksgiving feasts: Be sure to get your cardio/training done BEFORE you leave Fast for most of the morning/afternoon Leave 900+ calories left in MyFitnessPal for the day (the average Thanksgiving DINNER -without dessert - can be 1,800 - 3,000 calorie) Eat & track at least 100g of protein BEFORE you go to dinner Have a high protein meal/snack about 1 hour before you go to keep you feeling full Go for a walk right after dinner! This will helpwithdigestion When making your ONE plate (no second servings here): At least 1/4 of your plate should be protein (ham/turkey) with minimal gravy & cranberry sauce (just for taste) 1/2 should be low-density vegetables such as beans, Brussel sprouts, beets, carrots, etc. The other 1/4 of your plate can be starches (squash, turnip, potatoes, mashed potatoes) Skip the appetizers, bread & turkey skin Have 1/2 a palm of stuffing, max If a pie is a clock, your slice should be no bigger than 5 minutes For anyone with food intolerances/allergies - your food reactions DO NOT take a holiday, and many of the dishes will be packed with butter/milk/cream (dairy) or wheat/gluten. You really need to ask yourself if consuming the food/dessert is worth feeling low energy/poor mood/having off digestion for 3-5 days after eating it. For me personally, I just finished my final photoshoot of the year, so YES, I will be having a piece of dairy & wheat filled pumpkin pie. And yes, I will likely be bloated, gassy and break out, and I accept responsibility for my actions. Life is all about balance. Enjoy your long weekend! @ladythefup

IT’S NOT PROTEIN FARTS For most people, the reason you fart after consuming your protein powder is because WHEY PROTEIN IS DAIRY! It’s a DAIRY FART!!... Roughly 65-75% of people negatively react to dairy (even the lactose-free stuff)! This can be gas, bloating, poor mood/energy, or even acne! I always recommend getting as much of your protein as possible from WHOLE food sources. Personally I eat 180-240g of protein per day from meat and have ZERO gas! Questions? Let’s start a conversation

Find yourself getting injured often? Or recovery really slowly? I was a competitive trampoline gymnast for 12 years of my life, and in those 12 years I had 3 serious knee injuries that took months to heal and forced me to miss out on the rest of my competitive season. I truly believe that those injuries and the slow recovery happened because my tendons and ligaments were not strong enough to support the repeat impact.... How could that be? I was training 30+ hours a week, I was fit... BUT I WAS EATING THE WRONG FOODS FOR ME. I knew nothing about nutrition. Neither did my parents. I regularly skipped breakfast, had a granola bar, a sandwich or pasta with butter for lunch, and some meat & vegetables with butter for dinner. Chocolate milk was always my go-to drink. Post-training I’d come home and have some cookies, or ice cream, or both. Almost every single meal I ate had gluten and dairy - both of which I now know cause a negative immune system response and digestive stress for me (everyone is unique). When your gut health is off, your body can’t optimally absorb the amino acids and nutrients needed to make connective tissue strong and durable. It’s like consuming 150g of protein a day, but only absorbing 70g. If you get injured frequently, recover slower, find that you’re always achy, in pain, or sore - it’s very likely there are some foods/chemicals you’re consuming that are holding you back! Identify those foods, remove them, and watch yo ur body thrive! In just 30 days you can be FEELING better - that’s a money-back guarantee. 30daygutreset.com - link in bio A happy gut is KEY for optimal physical progress and overall health!