We’ve ruthlessly pursued thin-ness as a goal ever since 16-year old Twiggy sashayed onto the runway in the 1960s.
The thing is…this goal is pretty much unattainable. As a grown woman, it’s impossible to have the body of a teenager.
And why should we want to?
Our beautiful curves have been forged in the fires of experience.
Which means we’re members of an exclusive club, one that I’m proud to be a part of, because experience can’t be bought or replicated — it has to be earned.
And I’d argue that instead of trying to “lose weight” that instead, you should:
- Make peace with and celebrate your glorious body
- Focus on creating a strong body, not a skinny one
Let me tell you exactly why I feel that way.
You see, my body has been through quite a bit.
I’ve battled a debilitating case of Lyme disease.
I’ve had multiple broken bones — my shoulder, my knee, and my wrist as an adult…
…And my femur and collar bone when I was hit by a car as a child.
I know that I’m still here because my body is strong.
The vitality I’ve been blessed to create through my dedication to regular exercise has literally saved my life. Multiple times.
And now more than ever, creating a strong body is vital to survival.
Now is not the time to lose sight of caring for yourself and your body.
- We’re all sitting WAY more than we should be.
- We’re in front of screens MUCH too often.
- And the strength of our bodies is deteriorating because of it.
But there’s great news — you have the power to change your fate.
You can choose a different path.
But in case I haven’t convinced you yet of how important a strong body is to create — let me go into more depth on some of the tangible benefits of regular exercise.
The Undeniable Benefits Of Exercise
When I was a top certified personal trainer in New York City many years ago, I was a part of the fitness industry machine that pushed women into the pursuit of “skinny.” Long hours of cardio and excessive calorie restriction kept us all thin, but exhausted and weak, too.
It wasn’t until I became a physical therapist and counseled 15K+ women in how to strengthen and tone their bodies that I realized the real, true benefits of exercise are so much deeper than being able to fit into a size 2 dress.
Nowadays, I see the benefits of exercise differently. I see exercise as the ticket to:
Increased circulation to the pelvis
One of the reasons women struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction is a lack of proper exercise. Not just exercising the pelvic floor muscles, which is extremely important…but the exercise of the entire body.
When you move your body, your blood and your lymph circulate. This ensures that all of your muscles (especially your pelvic floor muscles) receive adequate amounts of oxygen. It means your lungs and heart can function at their best. And it even means your immune system can function better since circulating blood = faster delivery of white blood cells to infection sites. (1)
Hormonal balance
Did you know that insulin levels usually decrease during exercise? With about half the population suffering from insulin resistance or diabetes, exercise is a great way to lower levels of this hormone. (2)
Furthermore, the *right* kind of exercise can help control cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, so keeping this one in check is key. Overly rigorous exercise can cause cortisol levels to rise too high though — so be sure your exercise routine is not too intense. (3)
Mental clarity + toughness
It’s widely accepted that regular exercise is good for your mental health. Studies show that exercise in many different forms decreases depression and anxiety and increases memory. (4,5)
When you exercise regularly, you do something good for yourself. You make a commitment to yourself and honor it.
On top of the physiological benefits that exercise provides, this kind of follow-through creates resilience — and that overflows to every part of your life. When you prove to yourself that you are the type of person who’s tough and can persevere, there’s nothing that can stop you.
Less vaginal dryness
You don’t have to simply give up and learn to live with vaginal dryness.
In fact, proper blood flow and circulation to your lady parts can help keep things lubricated and moist. It’s one of the reasons I recommend Kegels so often. But full-body workouts can have an even greater impact on blood flow. Some studies also suggest that regular exercise can increase estrogen levels in postmenopausal women… an underlying cause of vaginal dryness. (6,7)
Bone density
The science shows that exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, can help increase bone density. (8) And every woman needs to keep that goal at the forefront of her mind.
Since bone loss accelerates quickly at the beginning stages of menopause, it’s not too early to begin thinking about ways to prevent osteoporosis. Plus, what other way is there to increase the health of your bones, your heart, and your mind?
Strong pelvic floor and less leaking
When you strengthen the muscles throughout your entire body, you create a stronger pelvic floor. The stronger your body is, the better equipped it is to support stronger pelvic muscles.
When your pelvic muscles are strong, leaking improves.
And studies indicate that middle-aged women who are the most physically active are less likely to develop urinary incontinence to begin with. (9)
Do you see how everything is interrelated? Creating a strong body means creating a strong pelvic floor — and vice versa.
Pain reduction
It may seem counterintuitive, but exercise has actually been shown to provide pain relief in individuals with chronic pain. Even low to moderate exercise a couple times a week can help lower pain levels. (10)
Exercises like yoga, which create strength and improve mobility, have been shown to improve lower back pain even better than traditional medicinal treatments. (11)
The Birth Of The Tight and Toned Body Secret
As you can see, the benefits of exercise, especially for women, are many and varied.
Which is why I’m extremely passionate about shouting this from every rooftop I can.
But I wasn’t always in a position to be climbing up to rooftops. Heck, shouting was even out of the question.
You see, a battle with Lyme disease a few years ago left me unable to even get out of bed for months.
My body was completely ravaged by the disease, and at my lowest point, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it through.
After months of extreme fatigue, weakness, despair, and tears, I made a commitment to myself to regain my strength.
So I leaned on my knowledge of the female body and took baby steps every day to take control of my body and create strength.
But as I became stronger, I started looking for workouts to help me in my quest. I scoured videos, the internet, and even sent my husband to the library.
I was shocked because many of the traditional exercises touted by the fitness gurus didn’t track what I know about how the body works.
After all, I’ve been helping women create stronger bodies for 20 years.
I’ve written 5 books on the subject.
So when I saw blanket recommendations for women to “lift heavy” or suggestions for high-intensity workouts multiple times a week, I got scared.
When I saw girls claiming to be fitness experts on YouTube performing multiple reps of crunches (which are terrible for your pelvic floor) I got even more worried.
I knew that exercises like these might produce weight loss, but they can leave women, especially older women, injured.
I knew exercises like these can positively destroy a woman’s vagina.
And I shuddered to think about my clients, already suffering from pelvic problems finding these same workouts and unwittingly making their situation worse.
I kept searching, but I couldn’t find ANY workouts created for women my age that were actually safe and effective — and wouldn’t cause my vagina to fall out of my body…
It was then that I knew I had to start spreading the word.
And my Tight + Toned Body Secret was born.
It’s a culmination of my years as a trainer and renowned pelvic floor therapist.
It’s full of everything you need to know to create a safe and effective workout…so that you don’t have to search and come up empty-handed as I did.
In this masterclass, I’ll be teaching you:
- How to train your core and get a flat stomach — without doing a single crunch!
- The exercises you should NEVER do if you have pelvic floor dysfunction
- When you should listen to your body instead of your trainer
- Why the fitness industry has forgotten women over 40…and what you can do about it
- The RIGHT way to create strength and lose weight — without overexerting yourself, raising your cortisol, and gaining weight as a result (talk about a frustrating cycle)
We’ll be going deep into creating a fitness routine that’s right for you.
And the best part?
It’s completely FREE.
You do not want to miss this.
Click here to register before all of the spots are filled.
References:
- “Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise – NCBI.” 28 Sep. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172294/.
- “The Effect of Regular Exercise on Insulin Sensitivity in … – NCBI.” 2 Aug. 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4995180/.
- “Exercise and circulating cortisol levels: the intensity threshold ….” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18787373/.
- “Exercise for Mental Health – NCBI – NIH.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/.
- “Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory ….” 9 Apr. 2014, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.
- “Pelvic floor muscle training to reduce symptoms … – PubMed.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27219835/.
- “Effect of aerobic and anaerobic exercise on estrogen … – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6619462/.
- “Benefits of 2 Years of Intense Exercise on Bone Density ….” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/217013.
- “New guidelines recommend Kegels, other lifestyle treatments ….” 17 Sep. 2014, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-recommend-kegels-and-other-treatments-for-incontinence-women-201409177438.
- “Physical exercise as a non-pharmacological treatment of … – NCBI.” 23 May. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4534717/.
- “Yoga for pain relief – Harvard Health.” https://www.health.harvard.edu/alternative-and-complementary-medicine/yoga-for-pain-relief.