Cravings, Plateaus & Promises: How to Break Free and Feel Strong Again

NUTRITION
Mid-Summer Reset: 3 Simple Habits to Get You Back on Track (Without Starting Over)

Hey girl, let’s be honest for a sec…

We’ve hit that mid-summer point where everything feels a little chaotic:

Kids are home, your schedule is upside down
Meals are whatever’s cold or quick (hello, when’s the last time you actually ate lunch?)
Macros? Haven’t tracked since the Fourth

So how are you actually feeling?

Glowy, hydrated, and balanced?
Or like summer kind of steamrolled your goals and called it “self-care”?

Whichever camp you’re in, this is your friendly reminder: you don’t need a full restart—you just need a reset.
Here are three simple ways to reclaim your routine and finish summer feeling strong (without ditching the ice cream runs).

1. Start With Protein in the Morning

When mornings are busy, it’s tempting to grab coffee and go. But research shows starting your day with 20–30g of protein reduces cravings and stabilizes blood sugar for hours. (Translation: no afternoon crash.)

Easy swaps:

• Greek yogurt + fruit + hemp seeds

• Eggs + avocado toast

• Scoop of unflavored protein powder blended into iced coffee

Protein doesn’t have to be fancy—just consistent.

My current favorite protein hack is protein coffee from Polar Joe Co. I literally just add it to a shaker cup and I get 20g of protein and caffeine.. talk about an easy win.

2. Pick ONE “Non-Negotiable” Habit

Trying to overhaul your whole routine in July? Recipe for burnout. Instead, choose one habit that anchors your day and ride or die with it.

Examples:

• “I hit 8,000 steps, no matter what.”

• “I eat a veggie with lunch and dinner.”

• “I stop scrolling at 10pm so I actually sleep.”

Simplify → follow through → win.

3. Break the ‘Start Over Monday’ Spiral

You don’t need to be perfect—you just need to be consistent.
If you had queso and a margarita on Tuesday, don’t throw away the whole week. Instead, ask:

“What’s the next best choice I can make today?”

One decision at a time. That’s how long-term results are built—without guilt or burnout.

Your summer isn’t over. You don’t need to wait for fall. You just have to start again—today.
And if you’re reading this? That’s exactly what you’re doing.

FITNESS
Why You’re Working Out 5 Days a Week… But Not Seeing Changes

You’re showing up.
You’re lifting.
You’re sweating.
So why does your body look (and feel) exactly the same?

→ it’s not because you’re lazy. It’s because your body is smart.

When you work out consistently, your body adapts. And that’s actually a good thing — it means you’re getting fitter. But if you don’t adjust how you train and recover, your progress can stall. This is why when you walk into a gym you will notice that year after year…the people look the same.

If you’ve been putting time into the gym but your body isn't changing…here’s what might be going on:

1. Check Your Protein (Most Women Aren’t Eating Enough)

Protein is the raw material for muscle repair. Without enough, your workouts are basically breaking your muscles down without building them back up.

• Goal: 1 gram per pound of goal body weight (ex: 130–150g/day for most women).

• Why: A 2018 review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found higher-protein diets improve fat loss, muscle gain, and satiety — especially when paired with resistance training.

• Easy Fix: Add 20–30g of protein to every meal (eggs + Greek yogurt breakfast, chicken + quinoa salad lunch, salmon + roasted veggies dinner).

2. Are You Actually Lifting Heavy Enough?

Here’s the thing: If you’ve been using the same weights for months… you’re not challenging your muscles anymore.

• Progressive overload is the secret: gradually increase the weight, reps, or intensity.

• Example: If you can squat 95 lbs for 10 reps easily, bump to 105 lbs…then 115lbs…etc.

• Research from Sports Medicine (2017) shows progressive overload is essential for continued muscle growth and fat loss — especially in trained individuals.

3. Recovery Is Where the Magic Happens

Your muscles don’t grow in the gym — they grow when you rest. Skipping recovery means chronic fatigue, stalled progress, and higher injury risk.

• Prioritize 7–9 hours of sleep (studies link sleep deprivation to reduced muscle protein synthesis).

• Schedule deload weeks every 6–8 weeks (reduce weight/volume for 5–7 days).

• Include active recovery: walking, yoga, mobility work.

4. Periodization: Stop Doing the Same Thing Forever

Your body thrives on change — but not random change. That’s where periodization comes in: structured phases of training (strength, hypertrophy, endurance) that prevent burnout and keep progress steady.

Even a simple 8-week strength block → 1-week deload → new block can work wonders. A 2022 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Physiology found periodized training outperformed non-periodized for both strength and hypertrophy gains.

If you’re frustrated, it’s not because you’re doing something wrong — it’s because you’re ready for the next level. Dial in your protein, lift heavier, plan recovery, and structure your training.

You don’t need more hours.
You just need smarter strategy.

Simply reply to this email if you feel stuck and want a set of eyes on your training plan.

MINDSET
Self Respect Is Earned

If you want to feel confident…
If you want to be genuinely happy…
If you want to actually respect yourself…

You’ve got to start keeping the promises you make to you.

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with.
Self-belief isn’t a personality trait.
Self-worth isn’t something anyone else can hand you.

You build it.
Brick by brick.
Promise by promise.

Every time you follow through on what you said you’d do, you prove to yourself that your word means something.

Think about it:

If you had a friend who constantly promised to show up for you but never did, how would you feel about them?
Would you trust them? Respect them? Probably not.

That’s what happens when we break our own promises.
We slowly stop trusting ourselves.
We stop believing in ourselves.
And that’s where the self-doubt, the shame, and the “I’m not good enough” spiral creeps in.

Here’s the good news: You can change this starting today.

• Pick one small promise and keep it.

• Then do it again tomorrow.

• And the next day.

The more evidence you give yourself that you follow through, the more confident you’ll feel.

Because your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship in your life.

If you can’t trust you, who can you trust?

Keep your promises.
Even the small ones.
Especially the small ones.
That’s where real confidence begins.

Make yourself Better Today.