We live in a culture that has mastered the art of "body-first" living. From the moment we wake up and check our notifications, we are bombarded with images of curated aesthetics, filtered physiques, and the relentless pursuit of the "perfect" body. Fitness has become synonymous with appearance, and self-improvement is frequently reduced to the pursuit of shrinking, sculpting, or altering our physical form. It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that your worth is tied

We have all been there. You sit down with a coach, a trainer, or even just a notebook at the start of the year, and you rattle off the "right" answers. "I want to lose 10 pounds." "I want to get stronger." "I want to be healthier." But what if those aren't your real goals? What if, deep down, you’re chasing something else entirely—and that disconnect is the exact reason you keep spinning your wheels? In a recent insight, fitness coach Cody McBroom dropped a truth bomb for cli

For years, the gold standard of weight loss advice has been a simple equation: Calories In, Calories Out (CICO). If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. It’s basic thermodynamics, right? While the math is technically sound, it is a woefully incomplete picture of human biology. If you treat your body like a simple calculator, you’re missing the complex hormonal, neurological, and metabolic systems that actually dictate how you lose weight—and, more impor

We’ve all been there: the gym is packed, you’re short on time, and you feel like if you aren’t dripping sweat or gasping for air, you isn't working hard enough. The temptation to "superset" everything—jumping from squats to push-ups with zero break—is real. But if the goal is true strength and muscle growth, constantly chasing "the burn" might actually be holding you back. While circuits have their place for conditioning, they can be the enemy of progressive overload. To get

I see it every week in the studio: a client walks in, eyes heavy, clutching a shaker cup filled with neon-colored liquid, asking, "Coach, I’m so tired and my lifts are stalling. Should I switch to a stronger pre-workout?" My answer is usually a hard no. If you’re operating on five hours of sleep and trying to "fix" it with 300mg of caffeine, you aren’t biohacking—you’re just putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. You’re asking your central nervous system to perform a miracle wh

In my years of coaching, I’ve realized that most people focus on the fat they can see in the mirror. We call this subcutaneous fat—it’s the stuff you can pinch. While that’s often the motivation for starting a fitness journey, there is another type of fat that deserves much more of your attention. It’s called Visceral Fat, and it’s the fat you can't see. It lives deep within your abdominal cavity, wrapping itself around your vital organs like your liver, pancreas, and intesti

If I had a dollar for every time a woman told me, "Elizabeth, I don’t want to get bulky, I just want to look toned," I’d probably be retired on a beach by now. I get it. The word "toned" feels safe. It sounds lean, firm, and athletic without being "too much." But here’s the truth I tell my clients every single day: "Toned" isn’t a real physiological state. It’s a visual outcome.And that outcome only happens when you stop fearing the muscle and start building it. "Weight loss

In the fitness world, we talk a lot about "mind-muscle connection." We focus on the intentional squeeze of a glute or the bracing of a core. But recently, I’ve been diving into a different kind of connection—one that happens deep within the subcortical brain. As I’ve progressed in my own journey as a coach and an athlete, I realized that some "blocks" couldn't be coached away with better form or a stricter diet. That realization led me to Brainspotting , a powerful, focused t

In the world of high-performance fitness, we often focus on the "grind"—the heavy lifts, the progressive overload, and the metabolic conditioning. But here is the truth: You don't grow in the gym; you grow in your sleep. Recovery is a physical and neurological necessity. If your sleep hygiene is an afterthought, you are leaving gains on the table and keeping your nervous system in a state of perpetual high alert. To perform like an athlete, you have to recover like one. Here

We’ve all been there: Your heart is racing, you’re sweating, and you feel like you’ve put in a massive shift at the gym. You leave feeling exhausted, assuming that the harder you breathe, the better your results will be. But here is the hard truth: Feeling tired is not a measurement of a productive workout. If you want to actually change your physique—building lean muscle and dropping body fat—you have to understand the physiological difference between Fatigue and Failure .

When we think about "burning fat," we usually picture the sweat-drenched floor after a heavy lifting session or the gasping breath after a treadmill sprint. But as we enter Week 4 of our Fuel & Fire Challenge , I want to let you in on a secret: the 60 minutes you spend with me in the gym is only a small piece of the metabolic puzzle. If you want to see radical changes in body composition and energy levels, you need to master NEAT . What is NEAT? (The Science of the "Other" 23

If you walk into most gyms, you’ll see people performing "bilateral" movements—exercises where both limbs work together at the same time. Think of the standard barbell squat, the bench press, or the deadlift. While these are fantastic for moving heavy loads, they often mask a hidden problem: imbalance. At Elizabeth DeHart Fitness, we believe the "secret sauce" to a body that looks as good as it performs is unilateral training . Simply put, this means training one side of the

If I had a dollar for every time a client told me, "I don't want to get bulky, I just want to get toned," I’d be retired on a beach by now. As a Certified Personal Trainer and Weight Loss Specialist, I’m going to share a secret that might shock you: "Toning" is a myth. You cannot actually "tone" a muscle. From a physiological standpoint, your muscles only do two things: they grow (hypertrophy) or they shrink (atrophy). That "toned" look you’re chasing is actually the result

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve likely been told a long list of things you "can’t" have. "No bread after 6:00 PM." "Cut out all fruit; it has too much sugar." "If it tastes good, spit it out." The message is clear: To see results, you have to suffer. You have to be hungry. You have to feel deprived. As a nutrition specialist, I’m here to tell you that suffering is not a prerequisite for fat loss. In fact, if you’re constantly starving, your weight loss journey wi

We’ve all been there. It’s Monday morning. Your gym bag is packed, your meal prep is stacked neatly in the fridge, and you are ready to be the "perfect" version of yourself. But then, life happens. Maybe the toddler had a meltdown, a meeting ran late, or you reached for a cookie in the breakroom. Suddenly, the "perfect" day is ruined. And because the day is ruined, you figure the whole week is a wash. You tell yourself, "I’ll just start over next Monday." As a women’s coachin

We’ve all been there. On January 1st, we feel a surge of inspiration. We set a big, beautiful intention : "This is the year I finally get healthy and lose the weight." Intentions are wonderful. They represent your "vibe" and your "why." But intentions alone are like a car without a GPS—you know you want to go somewhere, but you have no idea how to get there. To keep your momentum from fizzling out by February, you need a roadmap. That’s where the SMART Goal System comes in.

We often treat the body like a machine: input calories, output energy, lift heavy things, repeat. We track our heart rate, our steps, and our macros. But after years of coaching, I’ve realized that if we only focus on the physical, we are ignoring the very engine that drives the machine. Physical fitness doesn't happen in a vacuum. Your muscles do not exist independently of your mind or your soul. If your spirit is cluttered, anxious, or heavy, your body will eventually pay t

As we stand at the starting line of 2026, the air is thick with the usual "New Year, New Me" rhetoric. We see the advertisements for quick fixes and the social media posts about radical transformations. But as a coach, I want to offer you something different this year. I want to offer you sustainability . In this community, we aren’t just looking for a flash in the pan; we are looking for a steady flame. Intentions vs. Goals: Finding Your "Why" Intentions are often misunderst

The holiday season is often described as a "whirlwind of magic." But for many of us, that whirlwind doesn't feel like sparkling snow and festive music; it feels like pressure. It feels like an amplifier for loneliness, grief, or a heavy sense of overwhelm. I want to be completely honest with you today: I am navigating a "dark season" of my own. If you were to walk into my home right now, you would see a Christmas tree standing in the corner. But if you looked closer, you’d se

The holiday season is a magical time, filled with warmth, laughter, and an abundance of delicious food. From office parties to family dinners, the temptation to overindulge is everywhere. But what if you could enjoy every festive bite without the guilt, discomfort, or derailing of your health goals? It's absolutely possible! This isn't about deprivation; it's about conscious celebration . As your coach, I want to equip you with practical strategies to navigate any holiday spr