Often, the only difference between a problem being painful or being powerful is the sense that we choose it.  That we are responsible for it.  

If you’re unhappy in your current situation, chances are it’s because you feel like some part of it IS outside your control - that there is a problem you have no ability to solve, a problem that was somehow thrust upon you without your choosing.  

So how do we make the shift to empowerment?

How do we choose our problems?

Well….that’s the catch.

You already are. 

Whether you like it or not, whether you are aware of it or not, you are taking an active role in what’s happening TO you, and what’s happening WITHIN you. 

You see we are always choosing the values within which we live, and the metrics that we use to measure everything that happens to us in terms of success or failure -  and everything in between. 

Have you ever asked yourself why you have yo-yo'd in the past with your weight? Why you have moved from diet to diet to try find the solution to your weight concern?

Have you actually stopped and honestly asked yourself the single most powerful question on the planet: WHY?

"Why have I not remained consistent in my resolve to drop unwanted fat?"

"Why have I returned to my old ways of eating?"

"Why have I believed that I CAN'T do this?"

Scientists asked this exact same question of the 12 steps of AA. And what they found is what today's episode is all about.

Happy listening!

But why is that? Why is FOMO such a real thing? And what even is JOMO? (lol - I had NO idea).

Let's dive in to these in today's episode.

But why is it that after a short period of time, any goal we set becomes a distant thought? Why is it that we have the best intentions but we don't follow through?

Let's explore this in today's episode.

But girl, I promise you that it doesn't have to mean that. It really doesn't. And in today's episode I give you 7 steps on how you can approach Christmas week (from the 24th December through to the 30th) with a game plan that will have you leaving the silly season with a big smile on your face.

Not only did you NOT miss out on the deliciousness of Christmas day - including some festive drinkies, but you also managed to drop weight.

Yes, and yes please.

I wish I had these tips for the 15 years I yo-yo'ed!!

So we make the decision that 'next year' will be MY year to lose all my unwanted fat.

But in that decision, we end up 'dumping' all the responsibility on our future selves, and not taking any of that responsibility now - we eat ALL the things at the Christmas parties, we over-indulge at all the festive gatherings - because, well, you know - FUTURE me will take care of it. That's HER problem.

What if there was a solution to taking on a bit of the responsibility now?

I hope you enjoy x

...that weight maintenance is actually more challenging than weight loss itself.

If this wasn't the case, 80% - 95% of people who have lost weight, wouldn't regain it all again.

Weight maintenance has its own set of skills. And as a weight loss and body composition coach, I believe I have an ethical obligation to teach them.

It's not just about weight loss... it's about learning the skills to hold on to all your hard work.

Today's episode explores 5 important skills to keep you off the yo-yo cycle for the rest of your life.

No more rebounding with your weight.

There are some powerful learnings in here so much so that I wanted to bring it to you in my podcast.

There are six rules of power to learn which are derived very much around the rules that govern our decisions day by day, moment by moment, particularly around our pleasure pain paradigm.

The pleasure / pain paradigm comes from the motivational triad where we desire to seek pleasure avoid pain at all costs and conserve energy.

There are six rules that govern our decision-making around that pleasure pain paradigm - I hope you enjoy.

If you utilise these 3 principles, your journey will not be a fleeting diet, but rather a life long change.

You may be surprised at the simplicity of them...

We're taught that fast weight loss is not sustainable in the long term.

And the thinking behind goes something like this:

If you lose it fast, you'll gain it back fast.

And NOBODY wants that.

But what if I told the opposite to be true?

What if I told you that slow weight loss may in fact be jeopardising your results, not helping them?

If you've thought the same as me anytime in the past, then this podcast is for you.

Enjoy! xx

'Is that safe?'

'Woe, that's a bit extreme isn't it?'

'Why aren't you having dessert?'

If you've been on any kind of weight loss journey in the past, I am sure you can relate to hearing these comments from others.

And it has always been a fascinating thing for me because often it comes from people who aren't exactly in the height of peak physical fitness themselves.

But you've made a decision to move towards better health, a leaner body composition, more strength, and generally live a healthier life.

And yet you feel like you're copping flack for it.

What do you do with that?

Let's dive into this in this episode.

xx

I would much rather be completely open with my own personal struggles, and what I have learned from them, rather than giving off a false pretense that I have everything together 100% of the time.

I simply don't. And I'm ok with that.

This episode I share my background story, my emotional overeating dysfunctional cycle, and the steps I took to overcome it.

I have maintained my new weight for more than 10 years now - and I can honestly tell you, it is so freeing to feel completely in control around food.

I am no longer victim to my emotions, where I hope that food will fix my feelings.

Food doesn't fix anything except for hunger.

I hope you enjoy x

I talk about Numbers and Drama. The numbers side of losing fat is the easy part.

But the drama we create in our brain is the important stuff that needs a lot of attention paid to it.

Enjoy! xx

Well, I have some great news. This episode (taken from my three-part video series) has those exact things.

1. The right amount of protein
2. The best exercise for fat loss and weight maintenance

And I have to say, while the first secret weapon may make you think 'yeah, yeah, more protein, I know...' it really is the secret weapon to your body composition journey.

Enjoy x

We dive into the reasons why weight loss is so difficult.

If you have experienced yo-yo dieting before, your body is doing exactly what it was programmed to do.

But there is hope - and in this episode I give you tangible steps to take to set you on the path to success.

Wrong.

Nutrition is a science.

And today I share with you why basing your nutrition on beliefs is dangerous.

And we look at the exact scientific principles I used to get into the best shape of my life in my 40s, after being overweight for most of my 20s and 30s.

It's a common theme around the start of a new year, and once upon a time, I would have disagreed with the ideology of setting new year's resolutions.

However, after reading the research on the matter, I was surprised at what I discovered.

In this episode we take a broader look at goal setting, but then take it a step further to the most important part - taking action.

Enjoy!

If I told you not to eat, smell or even look at your FAVOURITE food for the next 6 months, AAAALLLLLLLL you're going to be thinking about is that food, right?

Tell me I can't have something....I want it even more! And you're probably the same.

So what do you do?

If you know that your favourite thing is what is causing you to overeat (because it is so darn yummy and you can't say no), but now you're told you can't think about, look at or even smell it, (what IS with that by the way!), how do you move towards your goal without feeling deprived?

There is an answer. And I share it with you in this minisode today. Enjoy!

1. You gain fat around your belly easier than you used to
2. You struggle to lose that belly fat more now that you're older

This can feel very frustrating, especially if you are determined to make changes with how you look and positive changes for health reasons.

This episode explores the scientific principles of how to get rid of belly fat after 40 through the Three Body Recomposition Pillars that Feminine & Fierce embraces:

FUEL, FIRE & FOCUS

What we eat, how we move, and how we think.

Enjoy!

How many reps should I do? How many sets?

Should I train to failure? How much weight should I be adding?

Today we look at hypertrophy training (training for a toned body) and the difference of training for pure strength.

My 10 years of strength training has seen me reach elite level for Bench press and Squat, and advanced level for Deadlift. I share the learnings I've had along the way from my own personal experience, coaching in my own facility, and the many scientific readings I have done over that time.

Today I break down the HOW TO of hitting your protein targets in a really simple, practical way. I show you exactly what I eat most days, and how keeping things simple is the best approach to changing your body, your health, and your nutrition.

In the third part of the 'Carbs are the Enemy' Series, we look closer into sugar, the research around it, they myths, the facts, and some funnies in amongst all the seriousness.

If you haven't listened to the first and second part of this series, I highly recommend you do so.

The results come in the doing.

So in this episode we unpack 6 strategies to help you keep moving towards that goal you have made, consistently, and with confidence.

1. The Numbers
2. The Drama

The numbers is all the scientific and mathematical principles that are necessary for you to actually achieve that goal.

The drama is all the emotion that we create and experience along the way.

In this episode, we explore 6 important factors to help you move towards your body composition goal on the numbers side, and 6 crucial things on the drama side.

I believe so passionately that the two must work hand in hand. If you want to experience long term success, you must understand both sides of the equation, and be willing to explore each point with curiosity.

Research began to show that dopamine is also critical in causing seeking behaviour. 

Dopamine causes you to want, to desire, to seek out, and search. It is released when your brain is expecting a reward.

So essentially, it is the 'desire' transmitter - responsible for creating the DESIRE  before the reward.

In today's episode we look at how to turn this around in your favour, and why living a life with conscious intention and thinking on purpose is so important in the pursuit of your goals.

But what if I was to tell you that there is so much more within your control? Probably more than you realise.

What if I was to share with you that sorting through and decluttering your brain, just like you would your pantry, is going to be one of the greatest gifts you can do for yourself?

In today's episode we look at controlling what we can control, and bringing clarity to our thoughts through a de-clutter process.

What we water, grows.

What we pay attention to, becomes larger.

And when it feels like things are against you, it is easy to become focused on the negative.

But if you shift your thinking to gratitude, and that things are happening FOR us, it brings so many new opportunities.

From THIS space, we need to embrace a willingness to do new things, and not let the fact that we've 'never done it before', stop us.

Don't let that be the determining factor for you not giving it another go.

It starts with a decision to try new things.

But this way of thinking is very black and white, and not necessarily the absolute truth.

Today we walk through 5 Nutrition Myths that may actually surprise you.

I'd be filthy rich if I was paid a dollar for every time I heard a client tell me this.

As women we have it pretty tough when it comes to dropping unwanted fat and keeping if off.

But what is really happening when the weight loss just stops? Are you really in starvation mode? Are your hormones the culprit for your stagnation in progress?

Check out this episode for all the answers.

It is a question I've asked myself because I experienced this polarity, and tried desperately to get back to that earlier space through dysfunctional yo-yo dieting.

The biggest thing we tend to do is blindly follow nutrition plans or exercise regimes, but never really look at the things that are going on between our ears.

Let's explore those things today.

Sometimes it was a big yo-yo, like 25kg (55 pounds) of weight loss, 25+kg weight regain, other times smaller increments.

But I just somehow couldn't stop myself from this weight loss - weight regain cycle, no matter how big or small.

In this episode, we look at why we keep doing this craziness over and over again.

We dive into the reasons why we sabotage our results, or why we don't even get started in the first place.

Then we walk through a 4 step process to get you off this insane cycle.

If you are keen to join me in a much more connected way, jump over to:

www.sallypriest.com/waitlist to be first to hear about The Feminine & Fierce Academy that is coming soon.

But have you ever asked yourself why you believe what you believe (about any given situation)?

We don't usually explore what we already know, because we already know it, right?

Today we challenge all of that.

We look deeper into what beliefs are, why we justify our behaviour, and what things might be disguising themselves as useful, when really they are limiting our progress.

45 years on the planet, in the scheme of things, is not a long time. Yet to date, I have learned SO much.

Today I share my thoughts, (some quite personal), about life, and the lessons I have learned so far.

It is never too late.

You are not too old.

It doesn't matter what other people say - you've got this.

What happens when you have a bad day. From the get-go you felt out of control with your eating and a sneaky snack of oreos turns into an all-day binge fest.

We have 2 brains inside our head, both with different roles to play. Our adult brain, and our toddler brain.

Letting your toddler brain be in charge of making decisions is like letting a toddler run through the house with a knife! Its dangerous, right? You just wouldn't let that happen.

Today's episode outlines the purpose of both these parts of our brains, and how to use them to their best potential for you and your goals.

Are you trying to build strength, muscle, tone but feeling frustrated that no definition is showing? You're simply not seeing results?

There is good reason why. In fact, there are 5 main reasons why you're not seeing the results you've been wanting.

If you're a woman over 40, (and even if you're younger), these principles all apply.

Is it possible? Absolutely.

Is it going to take commitment and precision to achieve? It most certainly will.

In this episode we look at the important factors required to drop the last five, how your menstrual cycle affects your hunger, and my unique approach to overcome it.

Why do we 'fall off the wagon' time and time again? Well, in my own personal experience, it was simply because I was hungry.

Today's episode looks firstly at the 5 fundamentals of fat loss, but then we look deeper into 5 principles around long term weight management. And I share with you one super simple yet effective strategy to help keep you from being hungry.

Not seeing results? Train harder.

Well, not so fast. While it is SO easy to fall into the "I just have to train harder to see the results I want" mentality, there is one thing stopping you from making progress.

We talk about it in today's episode.

If you're a practical girl like me, you love practical things that you can start doing today.

So in this 'minisode' - I give you 9.

They work.

But you have to actually implement them.

But hope doesn't inspire action. Rather, hope is a passive emotion that abdicates responsibility.

It causes us to wait for things to happen, hoping....

What's the alternative to hope? Take a listen to the episode. It's truly powerful.

We eat cake when it's our birthday. We eat cereal for breakfast. We grab a Zaraffas coffee mid afternoon. These are all 'normal' eating things that we 'do', and we don't necessarily question.

But what about when you choose NOT to have dessert? Then your girlfriend is like, "what? You're not having dessert? Why?"

And it feels like when we go 'against the norm' we are doing the wrong thing by not having dessert, when in fact not having it is serving us and our goals more than having it is.

In today's episode we break down what 'normal' is, what 'normal eating' looks like, and how we can begin to purposefully craft and shape our lives to a new normal for US that serves us and our goals.

And often the hardest part is not the planning, but in the doing. 

For many of us women, there’s a gap between what we know and what we consistently do.

Today's episode helps to bridge that gap with 4 steps.

Often we think that planning locks us in and makes things restrictive.

But the opposite is in fact true.

Taking 10 minutes each day to plan out your meals for the following days brings freedom and it is a powerful strategy to implement when you have a goal to change your body composition.

So today we take that concept and talk about macros in a small amount of detail so that you can start planning your food with more confidence.

No wonder our weight loss goals feel unachievable. But we push through, relying on self control - which feels even more impossible leading into Christmas.

Well girlfriend, it's time you took a break. Sometimes you need to take a rest before going again, and today I'll explain why.

Mum, work / career, tutor, managing the home, chef, counselor, accountant, cleaner, confidant, lover.

And somewhere in amongst wearing all these hats we have our own self care.

Life just feels ‘busy’.

Then as we get older, we notice our body starting to change - it’s more difficult to lose the weight, or it starts creeping on, especially around the middle, and we set a goal to lose the belly fat, or we really want to tone up the ‘flabby bits’.

But we’re so 'busy', how on earth are we going to find the time to prioritise that?

Today's episode brings clarification to 'busy-ness' and why we need to eliminate the word 'try' from our vocabulary.

But then it happens. And it comes out of nowhere. We are hit smack bang in the face with an urge. It is so strong, we give in, because it feels so overwhelming.

This is the number one thing that would make me fall of the wagon time and time again during my yo-yo dieting years: an urge to binge on chocolate would come, and I couldn't resist. 

I thought I was simply weak, not strong enough, or didn't have the willpower to resist the temptation.

Today's episode explains 3 powerful concepts about your brain and what is happening in that moment, and then an easy-to-follow 6 Step Process to overcome this sabotaging scenario.  

And it becomes a difficult thing to manage if you constantly feel like your health journey is being critisized.

I personally experienced this on my own weight loss and strength journey, and learned the importance of setting healthy boundaries for myself to prioritise my self care.

So if you are someone who feels like their boundaires are being violated, or you fall into the category of not being able to say no to people, then today's episode is for you.

We think that by giving to others before we give to ourselves we are acting selflessly.

The problem comes, however, when we give without replenishment. Our giving comes at our own expense leaving us emotional and depleted.

This then becomes a selfish space because we are no longer strong enough to carry our own load. We rely on others to fulfil our lack.

Which one is more selfish? Giving to the point of depletion and then relying on others to fill you up again?

Or, filling up your own cup first and then giving from that space of abundance?

The first one is to do with the numbers, the 2nd is to do with the drama.

In today's episode I discuss the 2 reasons in detail with all the learnings I have had over the past decade.

These two tools alone are the tools that I have used to increase a huge amount of self-awareness around my eating, and it's been able to help me drop 25 kilos and keep it off for over 10 years.

If there's any kind of tool that you choose to master in anything you learn around changing your body composition, these two tools I believe are most important.

Weight loss is only half the journey. The other half is the long term management.

So listen to the podcast for your long term success.

I seriously believed that it was everyone else's fault except my own - I completely struggled to take complete responsibility of my own life.

Thank goodness I eventually learned that this could not have been further from the truth.

This was such a bummer for me because I personally feel ill if I train without any food in my belly.

So I turned to the research to find out if there was any validation to this statement.

In today's episode we look at how the body burns fat, how fasted training impacts weight loss, and the research showing the real story.

I was mean. I was REALLY mean. But I didn't actually realise that I was being so unkind.

Today I talk about the one thing you can do to stop the Perfection / Failure cycle and stop being so darn mean to yourself.

But HOW exactly do you work them out?

It can be confusing and overwhelming with so much information out there, so let's keep things simple.

In today's episode we work through 4 steps that takes you from realistic goal setting all the way though to working out how much protein, fats and carbs you need to be eating for your goals.

And I have had the honour to coach hundreds of women to lose fat, build muscle, and become the strongest they have ever been.

Today, I offer you 7 Golden nuggets I believe to be fundamental in any weight loss or body composition goal.

But it increased my desire to encourage you to start doing, or continue doing strength training.

Not only for how your body looks, but for bone health.

Today's episode we dive deeper into how much strength training is 'enough' and how much may be too much.

And I have created a free gift for you - The Beginner's Guide to Strength Training

(including a barbell strength program).

www.sallypriest.com/beginnerstrengthguide

You may also have heard that carbs are the cause of type 2 diabetes and obesity, and that we should be avoiding them.

And while for some individuals, some carbs may not serve them or their health, are blanket statements like this actually completely accurate?

Are carbs really bad? Both Vegetables, fruits, white bread, croissants and quinoa are all carbs. So how do we know which ones are more or less optimal for our body comp goals?

This is what we discuss in this episode.

It's important to realise that none provide more than an estimate, and not one on its own is the ideal tracking method.

If you use several of the methods I am about to explain to you, it will provide an overall estimate of progress - especially if you want to change your body composition.

Well, I could say that I hate to burst your bubble, but that would be a lie. I’m going to take great pleasure in telling you, that any kind of worthwhile and lasting results take time and effort, and I'm going share all the unsexy things that you need to know to make lasting change.

Often we set either unrealistic and aggressive weight loss goals which require an extreme caloric restriction to achieve, or, we set too vague a goal with no real direction.

This episode breaks down exactly what body composition means, and some realistic and healthy expectations around fat loss and weight loss.

A must listen if you want to set SMART goals for your fat loss journey.

You’re feeling frustrated, because you were doing well for a while, but now you’re like, um hey, what’s going on?

There is actually a really logical reason for what is happening, and in today's episode I explain the science behind it, and how you can work with your body to kick your weight loss back into gear.

How often do we do this? How often do we find ourselves sabotaging our goals because if 'feels too hard' or 'overwhelming'?

In today's podcast we look at why it is our brains do this, why we somehow tell ourselves it's okay to sabotage our goals, and why avoiding or buffering our discomfort or pain now with food, is not such a good idea.

But sometimes doing more is not always better. 

Sometimes doing less delivers so much more. 

In today's podcast we discuss the Minimal Effective Dose, and why I believe it to be the best way to approach your training.

wooooaaahhhh....too much Sal...too much.

I hear ya. I used to feel the same way.

But then I realised I was missing the point. I was missing WHY I didn't want to weigh in.

And this changed everything for me.

This was one of the largest shifts in mindset for me....and it had nothing to do with the number I was seeing.

The other side is just as important - the drama. The emotional component of weight loss.

As women, I believe it is vital to understand and be self aware of both sides.

If we focus on one side only, we may only see short term results.

I believe this is the key to getting off the yo-yo dieting cycle.

But there is so much information out there, it's easy to be confused with what to do next.

Today's episode breaks this down into 4 simple steps, starting with clearly establishing your goal.

This episode bring clarity to what exercises you can do at that time of month, and the truth around how to drop fat and build muscle effectively and efficiently as a woman.

Today I share the 12 pillars of the feminine & fierce woman, and why I have changed the name.

12 pillars that span from looking after our bodies through strength training, and being free from restrictive dieting, all the way to having a fierce spirit, toughening up from the bruises of life (and everything inbetween).

All the elements to live a full and prosperous life. I hope they inspire you as much as they do me.

Well, while the answer is not so simple, it still holds true that yes you can!!

It's perfectly possible to build muscle without a large surplus as we once thought, or even without any surplus at all.

Do we need to simply starve ourselves to lose weight?

Do I have to be counting my calories for the rest of my life to lose weight?

If this sounds familiar, this episode is a must.

But what happens when you are training REALLY hard, but your results just aren't showing it? Or, even worse, you feel like you're going backwards?

Sound familiar?

In today's short little episode, I explain you have a very valid and biological reason for doing this.

You're not an 'emotional woman' just lacking self control after all...

Today's episode I talk in great detail about the primary purpose of training when you are wanting to lose weight. And there are a couple of things that might surprise you in terms of calories burned during exercise.

Protein is the single most important macronutrient for weight loss as a high intake of protein will help boosts your metabolism, reduce your appetite, and change several weight-regulating hormones

So many of us have been affected with the loss of work, loss of a business, loss of security, and uncertainty is becoming more and more prevalent. 

In this podcast we talk about emotional eating, and I give you the tools on how to overcome it.

This was one question a client of mine asked me recently. And it is not uncommon. I know I was there, feeling frustrated about my past failed diets and feeling deflated and hesitant to try again.

In today's episode I tell you the one thing I learned that changed everything for me. I know it will change things for you too.

But what if there was a better way than a crazy restrictive diet or intense exercise program?

Diets are so tough because they place you in a severe calorie restriction, coupled usually with an intense exercise program with no allowance for food to fuel and replenish your training.

But what if there was a better way?

Well there certainly is. And we explore this in today's episode.

Then, I give you an incredibly powerful tool to bring firstly, more self awareness to your overeating, and then steps to make a way forward.

Carbs MUST be the enemy right?  Not so fast. 

In this episode we discuss what is actually going on in your body, and why carbs are NOT your enemy.

You have health and fitness goals, as I do. But as a woman, should you be training a particular way?  

Should you be going hard out doing cardio day in and day out to achieve the body that you want?

In today's episode I discuss how to train intelligently as a woman to not only see results, but to train in a way that is sustainable long term.

But one of the surprising things about motivation is that it often comes after starting a new behaviour, not before. 

And yet so often we rely ON it to GET us started.

In today's episode I discuss the deeper issue that is causing this lack of motivation, and I give you some tools how to overcome it.

But what about understanding why you put ON weight in the first place? 

In this episode I'm going to be sharing with you the number one thing that is causing your weight gain, and give you some tools on how to overcome it.