“Hey, do you write meal plans? I want to lose 20 pounds by my wedding next month.”

I get this kind of desperate direct message at least once a week, and you know what my answer is? No. I do not and will not write meal plans.

Meal plans will fail you. You have the ability to be so much more intuitive and attuned with your body than any meal plan will ever be.

I do get it though. You’ve got this idea that knowing exactly what to eat at exactly the right time is going to quickly solve all…

What if there was a way to wake up and know exactly what your body needs to feel its best? A way to determine whether you should go to CrossFit class or opt for a leisurely walk; a way to know if hitting snooze will actually be better for you than your regularly scheduled morning workout?

Good news. There is a (totally free and easy) tool to answer those sorts of questions: It’s called the ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) scale.

The RPE scale isn’t totally preemptive, but it certainly has the power to help you adjust the intensity of…

The fitness industry is not noble. Like any industry, the fitness industry is chock-full of lies. Full of deceit. Many, if not most, companies in the fitness industry don’t have your best interest at heart — they have their bottom dollar at heart.

As such, the fitness industry’s own pool of marketing gurus have formulated dozens of myths over the years, all aimed at suckering some poor souls into their poorly developed programs or suspect supplements.

I’m here to end it. I’m truly fed up with fitness industry BS, and day by day, I’m working to dismantle the lies and…

Lack of time (or perceived lack of time) is the number one reason why people don’t get to the gym or even exercise at home. We get it. You’ve got long days at work, busy and seemingly short weekends, no sitter for your kiddos, and you need to prepare meals and do the laundry.

Driving an extra 15 minutes to get to the gym before or after work can feel like a burden, not to mention the fact that you need to have your gym clothes prepared and maybe even a shower bag so you can rush to work. …

You just pulled into your driveway after a long road trip — 12 gnarly hours of driving, in fact. You shut off the ignition, trudge inside, and relax a moment before heading back out to unpack. A few minutes later, you walk back to your car and pat the hood, thanking it for being such a trusty vehicle.

The hood’s still warm.

“Duh,” you’re probably thinking.

Well, good. Since you clearly understand that your car engine doesn’t revert to cold and dormant after a road trip, you’ll be able to understand that the same is true for your body.

After…

“Why am I not seeing results from my workouts?”

A quick Google search will tell you that you’re not working hard enough — exactly what you don’t want to hear when you’ve exhausted yourself trying everything you can think of to get “in shape.” (Whatever that means).

The more you Google, the more ads you’ll see, all of which say the same thing: This product is the newest, best, most mind-blowing, fat-burning, detoxing supplement. But why should product Z work if products A through Y didn’t?

The wellness and fitness industries employ gnarly marketing tactics that make you believe you’re…

Supplements. It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry. Pills and powders fly off of shelves, and supplement companies and their marketing masterminds get richer by the day.

You want the cold, hard truth? Most supplements are just very expensive lies. You should be very cautious about claims plastered on supplement labels.

Some supplements do have a place as part of a healthy diet and fitness routine. Supplements also have a place when nutrient deficiencies are present. They can help fill gaps in your diet and — gasp — supplement your health and performance.

Supplements are no replacement for real food, however, and some…

Progressive overload is one of the most important laws of strength training if you’re in it for results. Simply put, overloading means that you are increasing the amount of work you are doing and recovering from over time. You can do this in many ways, but for the most part, fitness enthusiasts limit overload to the practice of adding weight to the bar each week or adding a couple of reps over time.

It’s common — and not wrong — to assess your progress and overload your workouts by increasing weights each week or at least each training cycle.

While…