The short answer? Absolutely not! At EmpowHER Fit, we do not give you a list of foods to avoid or consider “off limits,” and we will do not expect you to give up or cut out any foods. 

The longer answer is this - 

No singular food is holding you back from where you want to be. It’s the combination of your nutrition, movement, & lifestyle habits AND mindset that will take you closer to or further from your goals. There is no reason to remove any specific food from your diet, unless you are allergic to it or don’t enjoy it.

When we’re told we can’t have something, we tend to want it even more, right?

Our clients have reported that when they’ve done restrictive diets in the past and had to cut out a food (or entire food group), that food becomes all they can think about & they count down the days until they’re “allowed” to eat that food again. Sounds like a recipe for overindulging & yo-yo dieting to us.

So no, while we will teach you how to be intentional with your food choices & create balance within your food choices, we 100% will not ask you to cut out any foods.

Our answer to this question is similar to the last one. Definitely not!

We understand the allure of meal plans - just tell me what to eat, and I’ll eat it! Simple.

However, what happens when you get bored of those meals, are traveling, or want to eat out on Friday night? Meal plans are a temporary solution - the kind of band-aid that has probably kept you stuck.

While meal plans can be can be convenient for a time, they miss one giant point: teaching you HOW to eat in a sustainable way.

That’s why we use personalized nutrition coaching, with plenty of recipes and tools on how to implement it, so you can master the skills needed to build a nutrition approach that fits your lifestyle…and never have to follow another temporary diet again.

We so appreciate this question because many of our clients come to us after having meticulously tracked every calorie they ate in apps like MyFitnessPal, dreading having to track food at restaurants & birthday parties, & feeling like a failure anytime they went above their calorie allotment.

That said, we do have other clients who enjoy the level of detail that calorie and/or macronutrient tracking can provide.

At EmpowHER Fit, we take a personalized approach to nutrition coaching, meaning we have to consider your individual goals, needs, preferences, history, & lifestyle when we recommend any specific strategies. 

Calorie tracking is just one tool in a greater nutritional toolkit that can be appropriate & helpful for some clients, sometimes, but it is not required or even recommended for all. We have many other tools we can use within our toolkit! :) 

Our EmpowHER Fit community is filled with amazing women who have a variety of goals for their health, fitness & wellness!

Common EmpowHER Fit client goals include:

> Having more energized
> Building strength & stamina
> Building muscle & decreasing body fat
> Improving bloodwork & health markers (like A1c, blood pressure, cholesterol)
> Feeling more confident in what your body can do
> Being able to do more physical activities, like hiking, more easily
> Having a better relationship with food & feeling less food guilt
> Confidently navigating food at social events, restaurants, travel, etc.
> Finally prioritizing yourself (because you’re worth it!)

Many, but certainly not all, of our clients also have goals related to fat loss or improved body composition, and our approach is tailored to your unique goals.

Within your fitness journey, progress & results can come in many forms, especially if you have multiple goals.

That said, if your results do stall, there is a reason for it.

That’s why, as your coaches, we will be monitoring your progress, identifying the next steps needed to reach your goals, & helping you implement those steps.

Progress will not always be linear, but when you invest in coaching support, you have us by your side to help you every step of the way.

Don’t get us wrong, every trainer on the EmpowHER Fit team got started doing in-person training, and we love it.

However, it went something like this...

You pay the gym $60-$150/hour to get a kick-ass workout & some form tips. Great.

Then, you go home. That’s where the habits you’ve built for DECADES creep in, propelling you further away from your goals, regardless of the quality of your workout.

EmpowHER Fit is different because we take a whole-person approach to helping you reach your goals. When we were working in gyms, we just didn’t have time within your 30-60 minute workout session to also help you other areas that can be even bigger rocks - nutrition, mindset, time management, and other lifestyle habits.

So while we do provide tailored, effective & progressive workout plans, & convenient ways to receive coaching on your exercise form digitally, working with EmpowHER Fit virtually means you also have support in the areas that have an even greater impact on your long-term goals. Plus, you have access to your coaches literally in your back pocket, so you have support whenever you need it.

Yes, we do work with clients who are living with PCOS!

It’s estimated that 5-10% of women ages 18-44 have PCOS, and while it’s often misdiagnosed and poorly understood, many of the symptoms can be better managed with the lifestyle changes we focus on within EmpowHER Fit.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for all women with PCOS, but lifestyle changes tend to focus on blood sugar management (since PCOS is often associated with insulin resistance), weight management to improve hormonal imbalances, and overall stress & symptom management through nutrition, exercise and other healthy habits.

Yes, we do work with clients with hypothyroidism.

With an underactive thyroid, your thyroid gland does not produce enough of the hormones that regulate your metabolism. This can lead to  fatigue, feeling extra drained after a workout, elevated LDL cholesterol, and more.

On top of that, your metabolic rate can be slower than someone without hypothyroidism, making it more difficult to lose weight (the rate of metabolic slowdown is highly individual, dependent on medication, etc.).

With that said, it is still totally possible to lose weight with hypothyroidism. At EmpowHER Fit, we focus on finding your “happy weight” - where you can feel, look & perform at your best while enjoying life!

We’ll also focus on habits & lifestyle changes that can have major positive outcomes in managing hypothyroid symptoms. 

Yes, we do work with clients with diabetes, prediabetes, and insulin resistance. In fact, our on-staff dietitian is a certified diabetes educator!

If blood sugar management is an important goal for you, be sure to let us know that on our call, & ask us about some of our programs specifically designed for diabetes management.

Yes, we work with clients in perimenopause, menopause & postmenopause.

In fact, we love working with clients at this stage of life, as fitness, nutrition & a healthy lifestyle become even more important.

Not only have our clients in menopause experienced body fat loss; they’ve reported having improved sleep & mood and feeling more energized during times of day when they were normally dragging.

Some of the areas we focus on with our clients in menopause include:
> Building lean muscle for metabolic health
> Exercise for bone & heart health
> Habits for improved sleep & lowered stress
> Nutrition for increased energy & weight management 

Let’s face it - injuries are frustrating - and common.

And if you’re dealing with an injury, the last thing you need is to follow a cookie cutter workout plan that doesn’t take your injury into account and leaves you in more pain, unable to exercise.

At EmpowHER Fit, since we are able to customize your workout plan to work around injuries, we frequently work with clients who have preexisting injuries, often in collaboration with their physical therapist or other healthcare provider.

Our best advice to you is to let us know about any potential injuries you’re dealing with. We’ll assess the modifications that may be needed for your workouts so you can get the most out of them. 

Being a client of EmpowHER Fit is an investment into your future, as you’ll take the knowledge, skills & mindset that you build in this program with you for the rest of your life.

We are happy to be able to offer multiple levels of support, depending on your goals, needs, and budget. When we meet during your discovery call & if we decide that it’s a good fit to work together, we can determine the best coaching option for you.

Investing in yourself by joining EmpowHER Fit is typically a low 4-figure investment, spread out over 6+ months, and we are HSA/FSA eligible. For reference, the monthly cost of most of our coaching options is less than the monthly cost of working with a personal training 1-2x per week (& provides far more support toward long-term sustainable results).

At EmpowHER Fit, we pride ourselves on keeping up-to-date with our certifications & continuing education so we are in the know on the latest research & strategies in our industry.

Collectively, your EmpowHER Fit coaches hold the following credentials:

> Master's degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science

> Registered Dietitian

> National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer

> National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Nutrition Coach

> National Academy of Sports Medicine Virtual Coaching Specialist

> Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Coach

> Nutrition Coaching Institute Level 1 Nutrition Coach

> Nutrition Coaching Institute Stress & Hormone Specialist

> Certified Diabetes Educator

> Girls Gone Strong Pre- & Postnatal Fitness Coach

> Girls Gone Strong Menopause Coaching Specialist (in progress)