Sistas of Strength

Fitness, Nutrition, Pregnancy and Motherhood - Enjoy the journey and stay sane! I am a 40 year old mom of two boys, wife, gym owner and personal trainer.

On my blog, I provide nutrition and fitness advice, including recommended workouts and recipes. Additionally, I share tips for staying fit during pregnancy and getting fit after having a baby (banishing the baby bulge). My husband and I own Skill of Strength (www.skillofstrength.com) located in North Chelmsford, MA. We offer personal training, group training, sports performance training, kettlebel

l training, and nutrition services. My credentials include:

Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola College
Certified Personal Trainer through National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CPT)
Functional Movement Screen Certified Specialist (FMS)
StrongFirst Kettlebell Instructor (SFG1)
Precision Nutrition Level 2 Nutrition Expert

I’d love to connect. Email me at amanda AT skillofstrength.com
Find me on twitter
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06/19/2026

You need to stop focusing on weight loss. Here's why...

Sometimes we forget how important our health really is.

A little over 5 years ago, our family's priorities changed overnight when Mike was diagnosed with cancer.

Just three days before his diagnosis, I was at the hospital myself getting a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound after some unusual findings. Thankfully, everything turned out okay, but it was another reminder that when your health is questioned, everything else suddenly feels much less important.

Including fat loss.

Now, five years later, Mike is technically CURED 🎉, and we're incredibly grateful. But the experience reinforced something I believe more strongly than ever:

Health has to come first.

You won't hear me promoting health at every size. Obesity is a real and growing problem. But you also won't find me promoting crash diets, quick fixes, or extreme approaches designed to get you into a smaller pair of pants as fast as possible.

For years, I thought I sat somewhere in the middle of that debate, but what I've realized is this:

Before fitness goals.
Before body composition goals.
Before fat loss goals.

Health comes first.

That's why "BAMs" (Bare Ass Minimums) have become such an important part of both my life and my coaching.

Instead of trying to overhaul everything at once, focus on the fundamentals that support your health:

✔️ Sleep 7+ hours most nights
✔️ Stay hydrated
✔️ Move your body regularly
✔️ Eat protein and vegetables consistently
✔️ Manage stress as best you can

Wanting to lose weight isn't bad. Wanting to feel more confident in your body isn't wrong. Having physique goals is completely okay.

Too many people skip the foundation and jump straight to chasing a number on the scale. Wearing a smaller pants size won't help you navigate a major health challenge. A six-pack won't make a difficult diagnosis easier. But having systems in place that support your sleep, nutrition, movement, and overall well-being, even during stressful seasons of life, sure does matter.

Build your foundation first.

06/17/2026

A simple challenge:
100 push-ups for time.
No prescribed sets. No prescribed reps. Just get to 100.

Simple? Yes.
Easy? Not always.

☝️ The first time I tried it, I did 10 sets of 10.

✌️ The next time, I adjusted the strategy and finished faster.

🤟 Third week, I adjusted again and finished even faster.

Same goal. Different approach.

Too often we think there's only one "right" way to reach a goal, but it's not true. The best approach is usually the one you can do consistently.

Maybe your friend thrives on two large meals a day.
Maybe you feel better with smaller meals spread throughout the day.

Maybe someone else gets great results training five days a week.
Maybe your schedule only allows for three.

The magic isn't in copying someone else's plan. It's in finding a plan that works for your life and sticking with it long enough to see results.

This week, spend less time worrying about the perfect strategy and more time taking action.

Experiment. Stay consistent. Adjust when needed. And keep moving forward.

And don't forget, doing nothing is a decision too... usually the one that gets you nowhere.

06/12/2026

For those of you with babies and toddlers feeling like...

✈️ You'll never be able to travel
👩‍⚕️ Your kids are always sick
👶 Day trips always need to be planned around nap schedules
🚙 You miss being spontaneous
💤You need sleep
⚽️ You always miss registration dates for sports and activities
👋You'll never have a kid who's old enough to be dropped off at practice (or carpool)

It's all temporary. You learn a little more each year. You need fewer bags every year when you go out the door. You will make some new friends who are in the same stage of life as you are.. and prob lose touch with others along the way.

It's all part of the process.

Enjoy the time at home. Don't force daily adventures if it feels stressful. Don't be jealous of those who make it look easy. (You rarely know the whole story.) Bond as a family. Watch TV. Order in. Make dinner. Drink wine on the coach.

You WILL miss the slower pace later.

Once your youngest hits about 3.5-4, it changes. You can be more flexible doing things all day or staying at a friend's house past bedtime.

You will genuinely want to hop in the car for a spontaneous overnight. You'll find packing and unpacking a whole family gets easier with practice. You can stay in bed on the weekends once your kids are old enough to get up and play or watch TV to catch up on sleep.

And you'll start to create new memories and truly enjoy being out and about with your kids again. Until then, do what you want. Even if that's a whole lotta nothing. 👌

06/10/2026

Ever found yourself lying on the floor scrolling before a workout… and suddenly an hour has passed and you haven't even started? 🙋‍♀️

Even when you're motivated and want to make changes, procrastination can sneak in disguised as "good intentions."

Here are a few common phrases that might sound familiar, and might also be signs you're avoiding taking action:

🌀 "I'm gonna try to make dinner tonight."
🌀 "I'm doing my best to stop snacking."
🌀 "I'll probably work out later."
🌀 "If I'm not too tired, I might walk."
🌀 "I'll go to the store at some point tomorrow."
🌀 "Once I feel better, I'll figure out the gym."
🌀 "I really should start packing my lunch."
🌀 "After the kids are in a groove, I'll sign up."

👉 See a pattern? Words like "I'll try," "maybe," "I should," and "later" offer you an easy out. They sound like plans… but they rarely lead to action.

💡 If you really want to do something, say "I WILL"—and be specific.

✅ "I will go for a 30-minute walk after dinner."
✅ "I will pack my lunch while I clean up the kitchen."
✅ "I will sign up for class after I drop the kids off at school."

That clarity creates commitment.

🚫 Ditch the vague "shoulds."
⏰ Stop leaving things to "later" (because later often becomes never).
💥 Take action with intention—and watch things change.

You've got this. 💪

06/08/2026

Why walk when you can run?

A younger version of me would have thought that was a ridiculous question.

For years, I looked at walking as something you did only when you couldn't run. If I had 30 minutes, I was going for a run because it felt more productive. More calories burned. More sweat. More "fitness."

But over time, my relationship with exercise changed.

These days, I walk almost every day, not because I have to, but because I genuinely enjoy it.

Walking gives me time to think. It helps me decompress after a long day. It gets me outside, away from screens, and moving without feeling like it's another item on my to-do list.

And here's what I've learned: not every workout has to leave you exhausted to be valuable.

Strength training is still my foundation, but walking has become one of the most consistent things I do for my physical and mental health. It's easy to recover from, easy to fit into a busy schedule, and something I can see myself doing for decades.

That's the key as we get older: finding forms of movement that we can sustain and enjoy.

I'm not anti-running. If you love to run, keep running.

But if you've been telling yourself that walking "doesn't count," it might be time to rethink that.

Sometimes the best exercise is the one you'll actually do consistently.

Are you Team Walk, Team Run, or a little bit of both? Let me know in the comments.

06/05/2026

By now you know self-care is not just manicures or massages. Self care includes anything that makes you feel healthier, happier and more complete.

For me this includes things like getting enough sleep, moving throughout the day, regular exercise, time with friends, family getaways, baths, and yes, the occasional manicure and massage too.

I don't fit every single one of these things in each day, week or even month. But I constantly evaluate what I'm craving more of (connection, alone time, movement, sleep, etc.) and work to schedule in something to fill that particular cup.

Self care is about making healthy, caring choices for you in the moment. Keep it simple.

Sometimes self care might be a salad with grilled chicken and an early bed time. Other days it might be a cocktail with a friend, a delicious gluten free cupcake and a later than normal night. (I mean not too late and no gluten or dairy please. I want to connect and indulge, but I also don't wanna feel like hell... this is self care after all. ;-))

Self care is trendy right now, but it really just is the act of doing things that make you feel whole, alive and happy so you don't dedicate your entire life to the grind, the hustle or making everyone else happy.

What feels like self-care for you today?

06/03/2026

Throwback to when my plyo push-ups were… less plyo-tastic than I hoped 😅

I'd never done these before and was genuinely surprised by how hard they were. The program called for sets of 8, but after trying them, I quickly realized 8 was a no-go if I wanted to keep my face intact. (Literally.)

So I adjusted.

Week 1 = sets of 6.
Week 2 = sets of 7.
Then I worked toward 8.

Here's the point:

If I looked at the program, decided I couldn't do it perfectly, and quit because I couldn't hit the prescribed reps right away… guess how much progress I'd make?

None.

Instead, I adjusted the goal so I could succeed. Success breeds success. Making the goal doable — but still challenging — made me want to keep improving.

And that applies to way more than push-ups.

If you're feeling frustrated with your plan because you missed a workout, ate off plan, or didn't "stick to it" perfectly this week, remember this:

Perfection is a terrible target.

Yes, reaching your health and fitness goals requires effort and sacrifice. But consistent forward movement over time beats perfect effort for a short burst every single time. (Because .)

Want to get better at something?

Stop aiming for perfect. Start aiming for continuously better. 👊

06/01/2026

Let's say you really enjoy training in general.

Even so, I bet you go through phases where you don't really feel like training. Usually, this happens when you've been training too much or not recovering enough. Your body says no. Then your mind echoes, "Definitely not… at least not right now."

When things are in balance, you want to do the things you love.
When things are skewed too far in one direction for too long, you don't.

Listen to your body and your mind. They're trying hard to regulate your behaviors and help you enjoy things (within reason) in moderation.

What's something you enjoy but find it's easy to take more than the right dose of? 👇👇

05/29/2026

No Caloric Beverages for 2 Weeks?! 😬🍷☕

In my nutrition coaching programs, we focus on small, sustainable habits.

One habit I often have clients practice is drinking only calorie-free beverages for 14 days.
Yep, that means no alcohol, no lattes, no cream in your coffee.

For some, this is no big deal. They already drink mostly water and black coffee, so this habit feels like an easy win.

For others? Straight-up NO WAY. Giving up their nightly wine or morning latte feels impossible. And guess what? That's okay.

These habits aren't about perfection, they're about progress. The goal isn't to force something you're not ready for; it's to build awareness and move in the right direction.

💡 Instead of all-or-nothing, try this:

➡ If you usually have 2-3 drinks every night, set a max of 2 and take one or two nights off each week.
➡ If you drink during the week and on weekends, can you cut out weeknights for two weeks?
➡ If you love cream in your coffee, can you swap for a splash of milk or almond milk?

Better is better. Create awareness. Make small changes. Keep going.

Screw perfection and focus on progress.
Once you realize something is hard for you, you get to decide what to do about it.

P.S. This isn't about cutting out caloric beverages forever. It's an experiment to see where calories might be sneaking in out of habit rather than true enjoyment. 😉

Drop a 🔥 if you want details about nutrition coaching options.

05/23/2026

Had a great conversation with a client a few weeks ago.

He was frustrated:

- Too many Girl Scout cookies.
- Low energy.
- End-of-tax-season burnout.

He thought he needed a full reset on everything in his lief, but he didn't.

We simplified everything down to 3 things:

✔ Get enough protein
✔ Stay hydrated
✔ Walk more (even in short bouts)

That's it. Just a few small things to:

- Improve energy
- Support recovery
- Help maintain (and rebuild) muscle

Humans like to overcomplicate things, especially when we are stressed and/or burnt out. Most of us don't need complicated, we need simple habits we can do to bring back some balance and slowly start to feel more like ourselves.

Address

North Chelmsford, MA

Website

http://www.sistasofstrength.com/

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