Now, here's the step that involves work – EXERCISE. This is the ultimate way to keep your blood sugar levels in check and help your body use sugar instead of storing it as belly fat, etc.

150 minutes a week (2.5 hours) is a good place to start. That' not 150 minutes of workout time. This is simply the minimum amount an active person might MOVE every week.

We need to be active every day. Walking counts, cardio counts, and activities like weeding or simply walking around a museum or supermarket also count, as long as we are generally on our feet.

For a body with a good defense against diabetes, it needs good muscle mass, which unfortunately starts to deteriorate quickly as we age. That's why we have to do resistance training. Only two workouts a week is needed to maintain muscle.

Outside of our workouts, my clients run, walk the dog and do yoga, and some are just super active, walking up and down the steps in the New York subway. Either way, they are active every day in addition to workouts. The 2 hours of workouts they do with me a week covers resistance training, core and mobility training plus cardio to a lesser or greater extent depending what they are working on. 

So, there you have it. There is work involved, but this SIMPLE habit could be started this week if you want to prioritize it

Try:

• Make sure you are doing two resistance workouts a week and being active every day.

​Remember, this habit will not only help you prevent and manage diabetes but also keep you looking and feeling great!

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Stay fit, stay fabulous, Clara x

​Remember, this habit will not only help you manage diabetes but also keep you looking and feeling great!
Find part 3 here next Friday.

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Clara xx

To get straight to the point - diabetes sucks, and it's something we should all keep in mind because it's not just a blood sugar thing– it's a precursor to a whole bunch of other major diseases and problems. I have 3 simple steps for you.

As you know, diabetes makes us unable to use sugar as energy correctly. It also does WEIRD things like make us store fat in dangerous places like the belly and inside our muscles!

The good news is that because it's a precursor to so many other things, if we can avoid diabetes, we're really setting ourselves up to avoid other really shitty things like heart disease, Alzheimer's, and even cancer.

There are three steps we can take that make a major difference, and two of them don't really require any work!They help us to NOT crave sugar so much so we're not constantly in a battle of wills with desert. We'll look at step 1 here and steps 2 and 3 in subsequent emails. 

STEP 1
The first step is to get enough sleep because lack of good quality sleep messes with our hormones and insulin sensitivity.

It's always on the ‘list of ways to stay healthy,’ but so few people prioritize it. When you think about it, a body deprived of sleep doesn't function optimally, right? If you're rundown from a lack of sleep, your digestion isn't as good, and your immune system is weakened and so forth for every system in the body. Month after month, year after year, it's going to take a toll.

It's easy to research what could be affecting your sleep and to prioritize making changes for the next 30 days to create a habit. 

Remember, this habit will not only help you prevent and manage diabetes but also keep you looking and feeling great!
Find Step 2 here next Friday.
Clara x

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Clara xx

The more we criticize ourselves, the harder it becomes to make positive changes because it reinforces negative thoughts and ruins our self-esteem! 

Then we're left feeling too beaten down to do anything different.

Louise Hay hit the nail on the head when she taught us to approve of ourselves:

"Criticism locks us into the very pattern we are trying to change. Understanding and being gentle with ourselves helps us move out of it. Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." (You Can Heal Your Life)

Approving of ourselves means we have an inner cheerleader to get us through challenges. We become more resilient and can stay positive even when we are - heaven forbid - not perfect.

So, how do you do this self-approval thing? You could try one of these steps:

1. Notice what triggers self-criticism. Is it when you make a mistake at work or forget to do something?
2. Catch your inner critic in action. Through mindfulness meditation or journaling, observe and note the thoughts that arise when you feel bad about yourself. Challenge these negative thoughts - Is 'I can't get anything right' really true?  Can you find evidence of the opposite?
3. Focus on your strengths to solve problems. Here’s an affirmation, of sorts, I teach to help move clients into action: “I am [my positive qualities] and can easily figure out why I [unwanted behavior] and what to do about it. I can try [actions that make it easier to do/stop doing next time].” For example: “I am resourceful and dedicated and can easily figure out why I keep going to the break room for donuts and what to do about it. I can try taking in my own snack so I am not hungry and taking a walk with a colleague instead of going to the break room.” *Don’t forget to celebrate wins, however small. *More templates are inside the The Fit & Fabulous Weight Loss Bundle
4. List 3 things you are grateful for every day and let one of those things be a personal quality you embody. Google the term - list of personal qualities to get ideas. 
5. Seek people with a positive outlook: Surround yourself with people who uplift you and remind you of your worth. Seek out supportive communities or consider talking to a therapist or counselor.

👆 These kinds of actions can lift us out of discouragement and boost positive feelings.
POSITIVE FEELINGS = ENERGY
Energy that we can use to make the changes we want.

Here's an awesome tip from the book 'Personality Isn't Permanent' by Benjamin P. Hardy, which I might have misremembered. Here's my version:

1. Choose one unhealthy habit you REALLY wish you could stop doing. It could be not getting enough sleep or eating too much sugar - you know, the usual suspects, the ‘shoulds’.
2. Now, imagine yourself looking 10-20 years into the future. Visualize two versions of yourself: one where you successfully stopped doing the habit, and another where you didn't. How did your decision impact your life? Are there any regrets? What are you able or not able to do? What would each version say to you now? Hopefully one will say something like, 'Thank you, I have more energy than my younger friends, I can move well, and I look great!'

The example given in the book is of a very overweight man who identifies eating refined sugar as the habit he wants to give up.
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He sees two distinct directions his life could go in: one where his life resembles that of his overweight parents, who suffer from numerous health problems and live a very limited life physically, and the other is a life of being able to hike and travel freely and live life to the full.

He fully commits and decides that from now on, he is a person who never eats refined sugar. An all-or-nothing approach evidently eliminates the decision fatigue that can sabotage our efforts to change. He takes it a step further and integrates this decision into his identity, delving into the side effects of sugar and exploring other ways to become a healthy person.

You don’t have to take it to that extreme but it's food for thought. Which future self do you want? The one you will have if you keep doing x or the one you will have if you stop?

Before you go, I just wanted to let you know I'm opening up some spaces for one-on-one weight loss coaching. You can try it out with 7 days of coaching and accountability dedicated to helping you START taking concrete steps towards losing 10-15 pounds. Let me know if you’re interested or have any questions.

Want to workout with me? I'm offering Buddy Training  (1:2) and  1:1 Personal Training .

Clara x ​

Trying to out-exercise food, no es bueno.

Neither is OVERDOING anything - like running too much, and then trying to counteract it with a few stretches that can't possibly prevent overuse injuries, or wondering what 5-minute posture exercises you can do to cancel out sitting in an awful position for 12 hours a day. See how it looks when I put it like that?

Ultimately, that's barking up the wrong tree.

None of us have time for ALL THE THINGS we would have to do every day to manage the symptoms we're causing - we'd have to stretch, we'd have to roll - we'd have to walk 10,000 steps before midnight and so on.

So, is there something in your life you just have to learn to do less?

That's today's question for you.

FYI, a box of 12 glazed donuts is 2640 calories. That's 87k steps!

Want to workout with me?  Right now I'm offering Buddy Training  (1:2) and 1:1 Personal Training.

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit scared about what will happen to my body as I get older. I've read all about the importance of bone density and muscle mass, as well as how challenging it can be to lose weight after menopause. In case you're a bit nervous too, I'm sharing what kind of workout programs I do, as a personal trainer, to give me peace of mind that I'm covering all the bases as I age.
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I've dealt with aches and pains from a young age due to a little hyper-mobility, so I've been thinking about these things for a long time.

Here's what my WELL RESEARCHED weekly routine looks like this month:
- I do two pretty intense full-body workouts that include resistance training, core exercises, and a bit of cardio.
- I average 7000 steps a day.

AND THAT'S ALL.

Last month, my weekly routine looked like this:
- 1 run
- 1 core workout
- 1 upper body workout
- 1 yard work session
- An average of 7500 steps a day
(I can create a program for you inside 1:1  Personal Training or Buddy Personal Training).

If you want to create a DIY exercise program that supports aging, here are the most important elements to include:
- Resistance training (along with increased protein intake) to build muscle mass
- 'Core proper' training* See below. 
- Daily activity, such as steps, yard work, or light aerobic exercises
- Management of posture, misalignment, and aches and pains. By including mobility drills, stretches, and self-myofascial release (I usually incorporate these into my warm-ups and cool-downs).

I understand this may seem like a lot. Do you have any questions? Feel free to send me a message. It's always helpful to know what you would like to hear more about in these emails.

So...

I love resistance training because it helps me feel toned and maintain muscle mass, which is essential for keeping my body looking young!

What I mean by resistance training, is adding resistance using dumbbells, resistance bands, or utilizing body-weight exercises like squats or planks.

I value muscles because they will protect me against becoming frail, and they help me burn fat 24 hours a day! They have all these other awesome benefits too, not least of which is feeling strong and confident. I don’t lift heavy and am not trying to look buff. I just do what I need to do to stay healthy.

As for core workouts, the fun thing about doing the right ab exercises is that they switch on the muscles that hold everything in and make my belly look flatter. It's like having a hidden corset!

* I focus on "core proper" workouts, as I like to call them because they involve abdominal muscles, glutes, lower back, hips, and even the inner thighs. The main reason I prioritize core workouts is for stability, so I don’t get as many backaches and can avoid other potential injuries that could make it difficult to exercise.
Oh and active glutes mean no flat butt!

And yes, I can create a program for you. I'm currently offering Buddy Training which is you and a friend plus me or one-on-one Personal Training.

If you have any questions about working with me send a message or book a call. 
Clara x

Want to take control of your weight loss journey and happiness by unlocking the power of a positive mindset? I've got 7 tips to make it easier to get the body you deserve. 

Are you tired of dieting on and off - and the voice inside your head that criticizes you everytime you fall off plan? By employing these 7 mindset hacks, you can get back on track and start ENJOYING the process of developing a healthier, more sustainable weight loss journey. ​

Here's to feeling great about weight loss and accomplishing your goals!
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Successful weight loss starts with a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Take some time to reflect on: who  you want to be, what you want to do, and what you want to have as a result of your weight loss journey.

Take a moment to envision yourself as the best version of yourself - slim, confident, and healthy. How will your quality of life improve? What new experiences will you be able to enjoy? By keeping these aspirations at the forefront of your mind, you can stay motivated and focused on your weight loss journey.
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Having a non-weight loss-related goal to look forward to can provide you with energy and motivation for your weight loss journey. It's important to have something else to keep your spirits up on days when the scale doesn't show the progress you were hoping for. 

My free workbook walks you through the steps to create an exciting and engaging goal.
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We love to overeat. 
We celebrate overeating!.. Thanksgiving meal, birthday cake, a reward for a shitty day...
whatever the reason: we look forward to overeating. 
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​It’s hard to stop (over) eating when you’re bored right? AND we know if you’re trying to lose weight, doing this too often has got to go!

However, missing out on food can make you feel deprived! Having something else to focus on can stop you feeling like crap as a result! Basically, you need some excitement in life that doesn't involve food!

The first step is creating what I like to call the big EXCITING goal. Something so cool it stops food from being the center of attention!

This goal is just for you. Something that really excites you - something you’ve always wanted to do - something that makes your heart race in anticipation. A DOABLE DREAM.  It's the first step to creating a life where you don't need to eat out of boredom. ​

To lose weight once and for all, in a sustainable way, we just need to eat a little less than we burn. 

Easier said than done.

If we feel deprived by eating less we'll only balance it out later by overeating! Especially if we're too restrictive.

Our stubborn inner child wants what we want when we want it. Fair enough, but with food we've got to step in to steer her away with something more enticing - like your big exciting goal!

As well as having exciting things to look forward to, I also recommend taking food out of the equation when you have something else to keep you occupied. 

Friends for example! You can meet friends for a walk or a movie instead of going out for food or drink. 

The same goes for vacations. Having new things to see and do means you can skip overeating. If you choose.

​Life is too short for food to be the main event, especially if you have weight loss goals. Creating a big exciting goal is just one step but it’s a great place to start.

© 2022 Clara Depont. All Rights Reserved..

Exercise gives you a break from stressful thoughts by taking your mind off your issues and releasing tension to create a calmer mind. Repetitive movements can even be meditative and a good stretch sequence after your workout works wonders for body and mind.
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Exercise Improves sleep. Stress puts you on red alert, which understandably doesn’t bode well for quality sleep. When you work out regularly you dissipate some of this stress and can fall asleep and stay asleep easier. Sleep is really important for weight loss too and it’s one of my 7 steps to permanent weight loss

Exercise boosts your self-esteem. Stress saps your confidence by, in short,  increasing nervousness. Some of this ‘nervous energy’ can be released during workouts to calm you down. In addition, simply showing up for yourself and seeing progress spills over to other areas of life and helps you navigate stressful situations easier.
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Reduces Overeating. ​

Want to lose weight once and for all? These 7 simple habits will help curb your appetite and optimize your body for fat loss. Lets' dive straight in.

# 1 Fuel up on protein
Muscle burns 3 times as many calories as fat. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories, and thus fat, your body burns throughout the day. 
The amino acids in protein help you build and maintain this muscle. After strength training, muscle fiber breaks down and is restored with the help of amino acids. As an added bonus, protein also helps you recover quicker from workouts and feel less sore!

Eating protein speeds up your metabolism because it uses up calories to digest and metabolize. This keeps your digestive system busy and thus reduces your appetite too. 

The western diet has us filling up on carbs, leaving little room for protein so it tends to take a conscious effort to make high protein choices especially if you have a vegetarian diet. Plant based sources of protein tend to have a lot less protein pound for pound than meat and dairy sources. You can get some ideas for high protein foods here

# 2 Eat Fiber

Eating plenty of fiber helps you maintain a calorie deficit  by keeping you feeling full. 

Insoluble fiber helps stave off hunger pangs and soluble (viscous) fiber dissolves and reduces your body’s ability to absorb fat among other awesome things! 

Fiber is associated with keeping us regular, which is a sad reflection of how bad our western diets are! But fiber provides a whole host of wonderful benefits such as detoxing you naturally and maintaining strong bones . Check out some more here 

Find a balance of both soluble and insoluble that works for you and aim to build up to a total of 25g overall. 

# 3 Drink Water

Drinking enough water, like eating fiber & protein, can help you lose weight automatically

Water reduces your appetite because dehydration can be confused with hunger, and water also helps you feel full with zero calories. Drinking it before meals, for example, reduces your appetite for food. In addition, being fully hydrated means you feel less stressed and can make better food decisions.  

Water helps you build calorie burning muscle faster during exercise by improving electrical triggers for muscle contraction. It also helps your workouts overall by allowing sweat to keep you cool and lubricating joints

Drinking cold water even boosts your metabolism while your body burns calories to warm it up!

# 4 Do compound strength exercises

The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism and the more calories you burn throughout the day. This doesn’t mean bulking up, it just means getting more toned through strength training.

Compound strength exercises optimize your body for fat loss by building more muscle overall and burning more calories during the workout itself by engaging more than one muscle. Some examples of compound exercises are squats, deadlifts and push ups. Get some personal training sessions to learn how.

# 5 Prioritize sleep

​A good night’s sleep sets you up for successful weight loss by helping you make better food choices and leaving you with more energy to be active. 

When you get enough sleep, the hormones ghrelin & leptin let you know when you’re hungry and full so it’s easier to say no to high calorie foods. If you’ve had a really bad night’s sleep and you feel hungry all day, that is why.. 

With more energy you’ll move more throughout the day and ace those scheduled workouts (and recover from them quicker). Also, your mood is less likely to drop so you’re less likely to reach for that high calorie mood pick me up.

# 6 Journal
You can get really clear on your personal challenges when it comes to reaching your target weight.

Journaling keeps your weight loss goal at front of mind by helping you stay focused on why you want to lose weight. It’s a safe place to cheer yourself on and reflect on how much you're eating and why and on what else could bring you joy and comfort instead of food. It’s also a place to process difficult emotions so you don’t eat to block them out.

# 7 Move throughout the day

Staying active throughout the day burns more calories than your workouts because it’s the lion’s share of your day. 

And here’s the thing, women who exercise for 60 minutes a day keep weight off long term. They did some big research on this. 60 minutes a day can be a workout,  5 minutes of exercise here and there OR a walk, gardening, playing with the grandkids or getting up from your desk every hour. 

The ‘150 mins of activity a week’ guidance from the FDA is not weight loss or weight maintenance advice: “while clearly sufficient based on data from many studies to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases, is insufficient for weight-gain prevention, without restricting caloric intake.” link

If you’re moving, you're not sedentary - your heart rate’s a little bit higher. You’re probably not going to be eating out of boredom or because your mood is low. You’re probably doing something that is engaging you or at least keeping you busy. 

Are you struggling to fit workouts into your life? Do you need structure and accountability to workout consistently? Do you want expert guidance on the right exercises and stretches for you as an individual?​
Check out my live 1:1 personal training for women online (or in Albuquerque) 

Updated Aug 23rd 2024
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Wondering whether to skip that second donut or just work out instead? There's actually some interesting science behind how exercise can help you lose weight - it's all about its impact on your metabolism.

Read on to discover:
💠 How exercise helps you burn calories even at rest
💠 How to ditch the junk food cravings
💠 How to stop the sugar habit and get a natural energy boost
Plus, the secret to keeping the weight off for good!

Ready to Ditch the Excuses and Embrace Exercise?
My free 3-step guide gives you actionable tips to overcome hurdles so you can jumpstart your fitness journey. Download Your Free Guide Now!

How Exercise Boosts Metabolism All Day Long
I'm sure you've heard that muscle burns more calories than fat, and this is what it means: After an intense workout:

1. Your body enters a state called Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), also known as the afterburn effect.
2. During EPOC, your body burns more calories than usual to replenish oxygen stores and repair those sore muscles you earn
3. This translates to burning more calories, even at rest!

Outsmart Your Hunger Pangs Before They Start
Resistance training makes your body crave protein and other essential nutrients to rebuild muscle fibers. Because you are filling up on nutrient dense foods, it’s easier to skip sugary & processed snacks! Regular cardio workouts boost your natural energy levels throughout the day. This keeps your blood sugar levels stable leaving you with less need to reach for quick sugar fixes to keep going.

Exercise-Induced Endorphins for a Happiness Boost
Reaching for the comfort of junk food after a long day? Working out releases endorphins - chemicals that leave you feeling happy and positive. They help you manage stressful situations and reduce your reliance on food for emotional comfort. The beauty of exercise for mental health is that even everyday activities like walking, gardening, or brisk housework count as exercise.

Exercise is The Key to Long Term Weight Loss
Maintaining weight loss is often easier than achieving it in the first place. While a drop in scale numbers is largely determined by diet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes that "the only way to maintain weight loss is to engage in regular physical activity."

Whether you're into weightlifting for muscle building and EPOC benefits, or prefer cardio for a natural energy boost and reduced cravings, there's an exercise routine out there for everyone. Remember, even small daily activities contribute to long-term weight management.

Let’s Get Started!
Here's the exciting part: I'm offering a FREE personal training session to help you kickstart your weight loss journey and experience the power of exercise firsthand. We'll discuss your goals, fitness level, and create a personalized plan that's fun, effective, and sustainable for you.

Updated June 3rd 2024

Feeling too low to work out? I get it! But... there is a way to get moving and feel better, on all but your worst days. Keep reading to learn how you can use tiny habits to jump-start your exercise routine and boost your mood.

If you're looking for a quick way to remind yourself of why you want to workout in the first place check out my very short and simple post on getting motivated to workout.

We’ve all been told that exercise helps with low mood and depression... BUT... it can feel like the hardest thing in the world to get started with when you're down.
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It’s a vicious cycle. You feel bad, so you have no motivation to work out, but then you feel worse and even less like doing anything!

So what can you do?
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How to start working out when you’re feeling down

Forget going all in. Increase motivation to workout with small goals. Pick something that you are 100% sure you can complete, because you need a quick win. To get back into working out regularly, the key is to pick something SO small that you can muster the energy to do it, even on your worst days so you can start working out on autopilot. This may not sound exciting, and it definitely doesn't give you the big excitement that starting a shiny, new, hyped-up workout program will. But it's an approach that can last a lifetime. 

How tiny habit exercises fight depression

Dopamine Boost: Completing a habit, no matter how small, triggers a dopamine release in your brain. This neurotransmitter is linked to feelings of reward and motivation, giving you a positive nudge for the day. The cool thing is you don't have to do something massive to get a hit of dopamine. When you're feeling lethargic and unmotivated, just set yourself a tiny little goal and achieve it, think how satisfying clearing an area of weeds or doing the dishes or laundry can be. For exercise this could be 10 jumping jacks before a meal, some stretches or a walk around the block.
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Happy Body: Our bodies were built to move! We don't need to ‘exercise’ every day, but we do need to be a little active every day (and work out a couple of times a week too). It’s all about circulation. Moving gets our blood pumping and switches our body on, for want of a better phrase. If you take a walk at lunchtime, you already know how different you feel when you get back to the office versus eating and then sitting. I've just challenged myself to do a few jumping jacks each time I feel sluggish. It feels yucky to start but it feels good real quick!

Blood Sugar Balance: Routine movement helps regulate blood sugar levels, which can prevent the energy crashes and mood swings that often accompany low blood sugar. Here’s the science: When you exercise, your body becomes more efficient at using blood sugar (glucose) for energy. This helps prevent dips in blood sugar that can lead to fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Add to that the release of endorphins that boost mood and reduce stress, and you can see how the benefits extend beyond just physical energy and fitness.

​The elephant in the room

Tiny habits are awesome to start with if you're feeling completely unmotivated or depressed. But I can also say that they do not lead to massive results unless you crank things up over time. The important thing is to increase gradually and not go from couch potato to gym rat overnight - otherwise, you may end up giving up workouts or feeling exhausted and worse than before. The way to do this is by picking something small and repeating it until you can do it consistently and it's part of your daily or weekly routine. Then build upon it by either doing it more often or making it a little bit harder. Get used to that before you increase again.​

I promise you, when you start with a manageable program that you can stick to, even when you don't feel good, and you stay consistent without overdoing it, you can build on it later. Before you know it, you’ll have regular exercise as a tool to boost and manage your mood.
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Feeling overwhelmed by the idea of creating a workout plan? Want to try micro-workouts for managing low mood? You don't have to go it alone! Click here to book a free workout with me! We can create a personalized plan that starts with small, achievable goals and gradually builds into a routine that fits your lifestyle and mood.