**NEW** Just some thoughts...
May 11, 2025
Beyond the Burn: How Strength, Function, and Self-Love Work Together
Because your body deserves more than soreness—it deserves strength, purpose, and peace.
Redefining Fitness
When I first started working out, I truly had no idea what I was doing. I’d use all the upper-body machines one day, all the lower-body machines the next, do cardio on a whim, and never stretched before or after a workout—ever. Only when I was beyond sore and couldn’t move would I even think about it.
I’d “people-watch” in the free weight section and mimic the same exercises, hoping I was doing them right. As I became more comfortable in the gym, I turned to Pinterest workouts, trying to piece together something that felt like a “good” session.
Finally, I learned how to create workouts that truly benefit me—ones that make me feel strong, healthy, and help minimize injury. Sitting stagnant in a vehicle and then jumping out to move quickly? A recipe for disaster if I wasn’t doing the right prep work.
I learned that squats are for more than just a round-bottom look. They help with picking up kids, carrying groceries, getting in and out of a chair (or the bathroom)—real life things. High knees (banded or not) help with hip flexor strength for running endurance, self-defense, and yep, getting in and out of a vehicle. There are so many exercises that marry strength and functionality.
This is where exercise becomes fun. When you find movements that add value to your life, working out no longer feels like a chore. It becomes something you look forward to. Knowing you’re getting stronger and helping your everyday life? That’s a serious confidence boost.
Strength vs. Functional Training: What’s the Difference?
🟣 Functional = Movement that mimics real-life actions (e.g., squatting to pick something up, rotating to put on a seatbelt).
🟡 Strength = Building muscle, power, and endurance for performance and overall health.
It’s amazing how many exercises mimic real life. Think about picking up trash and tossing it in the outside can—there’s lifting and rotating. Or picking up your kids and balancing them on your hip. Carrying groceries. Dragging a suitcase through the airport. These are all real-life movements we can train for in the gym.
Strength training, on the other hand, is about intentionally building muscle, power, and endurance. Think bodybuilders, football players, marathon runners—professional athletes. Strength training requires strict exercise regimens and often includes detailed nutrition plans. It takes serious dedication and discipline.
Functional training requires discipline, too, but it's more accessible and directly ties to improving day-to-day movement patterns.
Enter: Holistic Wellness
Let’s talk about recovery from all that disciplined movement. How do we not end up so sore we want to cry every time we take the stairs or use the bathroom?
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) can be so intense that it discourages people from working out altogether. So—how do we minimize it?
✅ Stretch – Before and after workouts. Dynamic stretches before, static stretches after.
✅ Hydrate – Water is key. Sugary drinks dehydrate and disrupt recovery.
✅ Meditate – Just 5–10 minutes a day can reduce tension and center your breath. (Unclench your jaw, babe.)
✅ Sauna – Increases blood flow and soothes deep muscle tension.
✅ Cold Plunge – Stimulates circulation, increases oxygen delivery, and accelerates recovery.
✅ Rest Days – Full rest is vital. Not lazy. Not weak. Just smart.
Let’s Redefine “Healthy” Together
So—what does healthy look like for you?
What did it look like before this blog?
And what does it look like now?
Do you still feel awkward taking a rest day?
Or have you finally given yourself the grace to do what’s right for your body?
💬 Exercise isn’t a chore. It doesn’t have to hurt. It can be fun, rewarding, and even—yes—relaxing.
Your Challenge This Week
Choose one movement for strength.
One movement for function.
One moment of pause.
✨ Then tell me what you chose over on Instagram: @jago_fit_coaching
Let’s celebrate those wins together. You’re stronger than you think. 💪
May 1st, 2025
What I Wish More Women Knew About Fitness…
I used to think fitness was only for athletes—the kind who had hours to spend sweating in a gym every day. I didn’t have two or three hours to spare, and I definitely wasn’t interested in spending that time in some smelly, musty weight room. Besides, I had other things to do with my life—and getting huge, bulky “gym bro” muscles? No thanks.
Back then, I rarely saw women lifting weights. And when I did, they looked… well, kind of bulky and “manly,” at least from the outside. So I told myself, “That’s not for me.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard women say, “I don’t want to lift heavy—I just want to look toned and lean.” If you’ve ever thought that, I want to tell you something important:
Lifting heavy doesn’t make you bulky.
Training with weights—even heavier than 10 pounds—isn’t going to magically turn you into a bodybuilder. That kind of physique takes years of intense, intentional work, a specific diet, and often more than just hard effort.
Fitness is About Gaining—Not Just Losing
This is honestly the part of fitness that I love the most. Getting active and strength training isn’t just about building muscles or losing fat—it’s about gaining mental strength. It’s about developing the mental fortitude to push yourself when you’re tired, adding a 2.5-lb plate to a squat or bench press, or pushing through two extra reps just to see if you can. Fitness teaches you so much about yourself. It’s about learning how strong you are now—mentally and physically—and applying that strength to your life outside of the gym.
Fitness is about gaining mental resilience, self-love, self-confidence, and the belief in your own strength.
You Don’t Have to Punish Your Body to Love It
When I first started working out, I thought I had to be so sore the next day for it to “count.” I’d brag about how much it hurt, thinking that pain was the only sign of a good workout. But, over time, I realized just how wrong I was. Exercise is not supposed to hurt you! Yes, soreness can be a sign of progress, but it’s not the only measure.
Exercise—whether it’s lifting weights, playing pickleball, or going for a long walk—is all about loving your body enough to keep your joints moving, your muscles strong, and your body healthy for as long as possible. It’s an exercise in self-love.
Progress is Personal—and It’s Not Always Visible
Progress is not linear. The scale will fluctuate, it will drive you crazy, and you’ll have moments where you want to give up when you don’t see results. Trust me, I’ve been there. The human body is amazing, but sometimes it’s also hard to understand. How can I be consistent with healthy eating and workouts, but the scale hasn’t budged in weeks?
Here’s the truth: It’s a mental game.
But there are other signs of progress. How do you feel? Are you sleeping better? Do you have more energy? Do your clothes fit differently, or are they looser? Do you have more mental clarity in the morning, or even when that 3 p.m. fog hits?
I’ve heard it said:
“It takes 4 weeks for you to see changes, 8 weeks for your friends and family to notice, and 12 weeks for everyone else to notice.”
Just remember: one day at a time—one meal, one workout. Change is a roller coaster, but it comes.
You’re Allowed to Take Up Space
Lately, I’ve been noticing something amazing. More and more women are taking up space at the squat rack—not at the bar down the street, but the squat bar in the gym! Women are showing up, doing squats, deadlifts, heavy leg presses, and owning the free weights with dumbbells and kettlebells. And they’re doing it because they know they deserve that space.
You deserve to take up space. You deserve to do things that light you up, to feel that post-workout glow, and to love your body for what it can do, not just what it looks like.
You are worthy of time and space in the gym. You are worthy of loving yourself enough to move in ways that impress you, not anyone else.
You don’t need to ‘fix’ yourself—you just need a space that reminds you how strong you already are.
If no one’s told you lately: You deserve to feel proud of your body, not ashamed of it.
Final Note
If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you. You’re not alone in this journey—whether you’re just starting or have been at it for years, we’re in this together. You are strong, you are worthy, and you deserve to take up space in this world and in your fitness journey.