Barefoot Fitness- Watertown

09/20/2023

I have a pretty big announcement for you all that is difficult to write, so I'll get right to the point. I will be closing Barefoot with the last day being October 14.

I know this probably seems sudden and out of the blue, but this is something I've been going back and forth about for the last couple years. I've known my time to transition out was coming. It was a matter of deciding when the right time was. The biggest reason it's never felt like the right time is all of you. While I gave you a space to workout, you have given me friendships, community, and countless laughs. It's very emotional to think of not seeing you all every week!

This decision does not come from a place of disliking what I do. I truly love my time with all of you. We have had many conversations at home about this shift. This decision comes from a desire to prioritize my focus and time to family (and the busyness that comes with it) and have more margin in life for those priorities. It recently became apparent that the time for my transition is now. While this is a sad decision to make, we do know it is the right one for our family.

I don't yet know what is next for me. For now, I'll be CEO/CFO of the household 😂 , but I expect to re-enter the workforce at some point. For now we are ok with not having an immediate plan, other than I will continue doing a small amount of private training.

Thank you for choosing Barefoot over the last 12 years. Thank you for everything you have given me in return.

09/06/2023

Very good veggie soup! It’s full of nutrients. I always say soup is the easiest way to get your veggies in. I added some cannelini beans to mine to add a little protein bump.

Mighty Mitochondria Soup is chocked full of veggies–and so is our Just Juiced Veggies! With 7-9 servings of fruit and veggies in every scoop, your nutrient bases are covered.

09/01/2023

Warmups…It does the body good.
Warmups….they’re grrrreaat!

Or, if you understand either of my lame jokes above. 😂

08/30/2023

💥The basics work!
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🔑 This applies to everything from nutrition to workouts to your career.
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🎯 Goal setting is usually where most people stop, but to really ATTAIN your goals—you have to build your skills for goal achievement. Which goes a few levels deeper:⁣
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1) What's the GOAL that we want to achieve?⁣

2) What are the SKILLS required to attain that goal?⁣

3) What are the daily PRACTICES that will help build those skills?

06/16/2023

One of those random meals of things just put together.

🍗 Grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing
🥦 Roasted veggies: broccoli, Brussels, red onions, zucchini. Seasoned with just salt and pepper.
🍚 brown rice

Throw in a bowl. Topped with chick-fil-a sauce. Yup. That’s the sauce I used. No cares or regrets. .

06/07/2023

I will definitely make this again! For the noodles I used Banza brand chickpea noodles!

This pesto chicken Caprese pasta is packed full of pesto grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil.

05/31/2023

Memorial Day crew!

04/17/2023

When doing challenging conditioning workouts, avoid falling into the trap of thinking they would be easier if you were fitter and that something is wrong when the pain sets in.

The opposite is true - the more fit you are, the deeper of a hole you can dig.

This is why mental skills grow in importance as you become more capable - they allow you to grow without amplifying stressors. This is true in every aspect of life - not just fitnessing. If you’re pursuing a challenging path, life doesn’t get easier, you get better at coping. Things that used to be hard become less challenging, and you take up the slack with new and more meaningful challenges.

This doesn’t mean you have to white knuckle your way through life or adopt an ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead' mentality. That’s probably going to occur sometimes, but it shouldn’t be your status quo.

Breaking down challenges in small enough moments that you can focus on what you can predict and control (segmenting) to expand your tolerance range will always be a go-to strategy.

On the physical side of things, this means you're able to push your body further into discomfort. More fitness means you can go further into pain and process that pain more effectively.

The meaning that physical sensations have is the meaning that we give them. With practice, the discomfort goes from an active threat to a neutral companion. What used to feel like a stop sign is now just another signpost you pass along the way.

You can speed this transition with the conscious practice of mental skills—things like developing better mindfulness, managing your self-talk, or practicing strategies like segmenting or compartmentalization. As you get better at these things and learn to incorporate them automatically into your training, you reduce the mental resistance you feel during strenuous workouts.

Some workouts are meant to hurt, and you can't escape that. But you can control how much you suffer.

04/11/2023

Cardio alone is not a sustainable long term weight loss/body comp strategy. It’s like a credit card. It gets you want you need temporarily, but there isn’t any investing in the long term. You need weight training also.

Your workouts should be weight training centered. Strength and muscle do so many good things for you. Think of cardio as a condiment that you sprinkle in.

We combine both aspects into our training to make it easy for our members to get everything they need! No thinking required.

My personal perspective:

✔️ I lift weights to feel good and stay functional.
✔️ I lift because I like visible muscle.
✔️I lift because it keeps my body young and capable.
✔️ I lift because it keeps my metabolism high. Because burgers and fries 😜
✔️ I lift because it’s fun and satisfying.
✔️ I lift because I like to be strong.

Just a few examples. Why do you lift? Drop below, I’d love to hear! 👇🏻👇🏻

04/06/2023

This was amazing. Make it. I ate it for lunch for an entire week. I did make a few changes. Not necessary, it’s good as is! But I wanted to add more protein and adjusted a few other things based on convenience.

Changes I made:
-added Brussels
-Spinach instead of arugula because the stores were out
-added chicken (marinated in roasted red pepper dressing, baked, shredded, then under the broiler for a bit to crisp)
-for the vinaigrette just buy pesto instead of making it. Mix in a 2:1 ratio- pesto:white wine vinegar.

Enjoy!

Cozy up to this warm farro bowl stuffed with roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and a kale pesto vinaigrette that will get you excited to eat your greens.

04/03/2023

Shaping our environment leads to the concept ‘acting into feeling.’ We take actions that move us toward our goals even when we’re not motivated. Those actions lead to feeling on track with our goals, which leads to feeling more motivated.

Action precedes motivation most of the time. This is why harnessing moments of motivation to build skills, shape your environment, and create systems that propagate those actions in the future is so important.

The person who sees willpower as a finite resource considers it a precious commodity, so they only use it for immediately gratifying things. They also expect to run out of willpower, so they are less likely to fight when a desire to quit or do something else comes along. They think of it as a natural consequence of fading willpower and give in to that impulse. They never ‘act into feeling’. They wait to feel motivated to take action; when they do, it’s toward feeling good. So, they never create a process to keep them going when they don’t feel motivated.

Like most skills or attitudes, these aren’t black-and-white, binary beliefs. We can fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Context also matters. We may display a lot of willpower in one aspect of our lives but not another.

No one is a robot with bottomless reserves. But, believing that we can develop discipline is the first step in doing so.

And, when you do feel motivated, you should use it to change the structure of your life to make it easier to do the right thing in the future:

+ Clear your house of junk food and cook some healthy meals
+ Install an app that limits time on social media and other time-wasting activities
+ Find a workout buddy and set up a time to meet them at the gym

Those are just a few examples to get your mind going. Look at your goals, values, and behaviors and target one or two small changes.

03/31/2023

Teehee