I am so confused.

In a blink, the first half of this month and this insane year is over. I feel like we just received our google classroom credentials and celebrated our Halloween piñata.

On what planet did I ever think I would write that sentence?!

I'll send another email once I reflect more on the year that we did nothing, yet changed everything.

For today it is about December! Read on to see what has surfaced for me....

It snowed last weekend. A LOT. About 8 inches of the heavy wet stuff that is as striking in its beauty as it is in its power. Sadly this gorgeous tree couldn't withstand the weight and snapped in several places. 

This is the tree where all our kids learned to climb.

Where we watched robins tend to their babies and cardinals peek in us, hoping they were symbols of our loved ones who had passed on.

Which shaded us on the deck during afternoon lunch.

It provided a safe place for our kitties to enjoy the view when they were outside but felt uneasy around the chaos of the kids dogs. (Don't worry, this did not coincide with the birds.)

We took off the limbs that snapped, and about 1/3 of the tree is left.

We are hoping this spring she will find her resolve and we'll get to watch her blossom again. 

This feels like the great hope for 2021.

In other news, anyone curious what an additional 8 lbs looks like on my frame? It's TOTALLY normal to say no and scroll on...but I am going to talk about it anyway because that is what I do. 

Here it is. And I'm not mad about it.

I think back to one year ago and I was much more disciplined and focused on what I could achieve aesthetically because that was my goal. I was *very* lean and aware of it (though not nearly as aware of it as I am now, looking at these photos side-by-side), and planning to shift my efforts to business related goals in the new year, which I knew would alter my physique at least somewhat. 

This is what my version of balance looks like. You can have it all, just not all at the same time! This is why I talk about seasons and phasing goals. NO ONE is meant to be this lean year round. But for a time, it was fun to work for something purely self-indulgent and I don't regret it one bit. It taught me 'OH YES I CAN' to whatever I want.

Then I turned the calendar and an inconceivable amount of goal-related stress toppled down on me. And it wasn't COVID related...yet.

I was working 12 hours per day on my budding coaching business, launching a recipe book and living at maintenance calories, with intentionally reduced training to offset some stress. But it wasn't enough. I was burning the midnight oil 7 days a week, and around the time 'safer at home' was rolled out in March, I unknowingly drifted completely out of balance.

For six months I would continue to operate at that same unforgiving cadence, believing that because my intake wasn't at a deficit and my training frequency was reduced, I was offsetting my stress appropriately.

But the impact of homeschooling, my kids constant needs, our family business, social injustices, politics, etc. were stressors I didn't count/consider because they weren't physical or self-induced. I just considered them 'my life' which I understand is very privileged...unfortunately they took up MUCH greater real estate than I realized, and I was not properly collecting rent.

So the weight gain/physique change you see here while I have been in 'maintenance' has come from my lifestyle over the past 12 months - or more accurately not building a soft landing for myself at the end of each stressful day.

Some of this weight is from building back up from a very depleted low in the form of glycogen on my muscles. Some is water retention from my heavier strength workouts lately. Some is inflammation from the gluten I ate over the weekend. Some is fat. But NONE if it is regret because I am here for a reason. To heal my body and restore strength.

And this is what it is looks like!

To be continued....

We celebrated this brilliant girl's eleventh birthday this past weekend, and here are a few of her favorite gifts if you're still shopping for the 'I-don't-know-if-I-am-a-pre-teen-or-a-kid' girl in your life:

NASA Sweatshirt - so cozy (and retro but she doesn't even know it).

LaCrosse Weather Station - we paired this with her ipad and it is fascinating.

American Girl Doll Blaire - please keep loving these sweet stories and dolls.

Hand Held Drone - immediately her sisters wanted to add to their Christmas lists.

Judy Blume Boxed Set - I remember pouring over these stories as a curious pre-teen; I read each one at least a dozen times and I know my girls will too.

If you weren't following me about a year ago, I shared a peek into some interesting uncertainty surrounding her birthday here. We still love to laugh and wonder about it!

I have had so many inquiries about becoming a coach this year.

Maybe it is the uncertainty blanketed by 2020 that has caused some of us to reevaluate our current paths, or maybe it's simply the everyday challenges inspiring us to rise up and make our dreams reality. 

Either way I thank you for trusting me and I am happy to share how I found my way to where I am today.

A little over a year ago I decided I wanted to coach full time. While I didn't know exactly where to start, I knew it had to begin with some formal education to shore up my own research and personal experience thus far.

I dipped my toe in with a relatively affordable Performance Nutrition Coach certification from Clean Health Fitness Institute. While it was a great intro course and stoked my appetite for more, I didn't learn anything new. For those reasons I wouldn't recommend it. But it did give me the confidence I needed to take the next steps necessary to invest in this future. 

And this one was a worthy investment of both my time and money. 

After researching several options, I landed on Precision Nutrition, L1 because it was highly touted among the coaching community I'd been following on Instagram, and really zeroed in on what I was looking for; NUTRITION education over personal training.

From the moment I received access, I was so pleased with this decision - and still am. The comprehensive materials, which were both digital AND printed textbooks, were well balanced with video lessons and online community support. It really catered to exactly how I learn best, which is to say through varied streams of data. 

If you're someone who has asked me about this or has quietly considered a coaching certification this year, I wanted to share something Precision Nutrition is offering only for this one week. I am sure it will come online again in 2021, but I don't know when.

People are understandably being so careful with their purchases right now, and I want to begin by saying I respect that. I never want to suggest how someone should spend their money. So maybe this is fits right in with your new years goals and you dive in, or maybe it is something you put a pin in for another time...or never!

I was really happy when PN asked me if I wanted to share this opportunity because I have been recommending them to anyone who has asked me for the past year. And currently, this time-sensitive enrollment actually rolls up quite a bit more content than I was able to obtain in 2019.

From December 14th through December 18th Precision Nutrition is opening registration, with three additional bonuses surrounding the L1 certification that I received.

• Enrollment Details:
  • Precision Nutrition L1 Certification  ($1,428 listed price - which is what I paid when I enrolled a year ago)
  • Extras (I did not have any of these with my enrollment so I cannot speak to them, but based on my experience with PN, everything has had immense value)
    1. Exclusive Virtual Event: 'Find Your Niche In the Health & Fitness Industry in 2021,' Hosted by PN Master Coach Adam Feit, PhD, CSCS, SCCC - $399 Value
    2. New: Coaching Business Starter Kit - $199 Value
    3. New: Coach with Confidence course - $199 Value
• Cost for the L1 Certification plus bonuses is $67/month for 18 months or $1206 total. This is more than $200 less than I paid for my PN1 cert.

It took me 2 months to complete the course and I learned so much about the science to explain the WHY that I so voraciously want to understand. From chapter one, I knew this was the right course for me because it began by talking about 'whole health' rather than ways to lose weight or gain clients (though this insight was included).

But what I appreciate most is the continued education I receive in emails, a facebook community and constantly updated articles/research analysis, available on the Precision Nutrition platforms. They believe in ongoing education and not necessarily at cost - though you can go on to purchase Level 2 certifications and beyond.

However, everything I have ascertained since the certification has been through free content and I appreciate that.

If you are interested in signing up through my affiliate link here, I will receive a small compensation.

Wishing anyone pursing a coaching role in 2021 all the best! It sure is a madly fulfilling experience and I am so grateful to have this honor. 

Have you ever seen a happier set of snow dogs?!

Some days I wish I could be this happy about anything. Then I remember I have the power to *create* my experiences and I remember my WHY.

If you're still looking for yours, check out this short video I shared on my stories today. It may change everything.

Thanks for reading and as always I love to see your replies!

Warmly,

Katie

Did you know? 

Current discounts/offers:

Precision Nutrition Certification Bundle

Jojo's Chocolate: Katie saves 10%

Cozy Earth: Crokus50 saves 50% 

PeScience: Katie saves 15% 

G2G Bars: KatieC saves 15% 

Cocoa Bar in a Jar: Katie10 saves 10%

Cut da Carb: Katie10 saves 10% off a 24 pack

HiiT Nutrition: Katie saves 10%

Simply Delish: Katie saves 10%

Seed Synbiotic: Katie15 saves 15%

Babe Lash: INSTA20 saves 20%

You can always access all my discount codes and search my content by subject via the link in my Instagram bio or here!