Kevina McDonald Personal Coaching

End of summer client event 💛

This morning involved a training workshop, figuring out our ‘why’ and going deeper than just the physical goal and finishing off with bonding over some good food 🤌🏽 shout out Eimear Clarke for a gorgeous home baked banana bread 👏🏽.

Genuinely can’t put into words how I feel coming away from these events. It’s one thing getting the girls together, but for me it’s seeing people who have never met in person connect, share, inspire and literally cheer each other on. That’s what this community is about 🥹

It still continues to blow me away 🤯

Days like today are a reminder for me of what’s really being built here and what the girls are truly getting out of this process and that goes beyond physical.

Each of the girls there and not, inspire me more than they’ll ever know and I only come away with a fire in my belly to continue to bring them the best possible experience and outcome that I can.

More to come on the event and a huge shout out to the girls for making today what it was ❤️

I could continue to write all day but I’m going to go and soak up the post event high.

Grateful beyond words.

K

At what point were we all brainwashed into thinking food that tastes good must be bad for us?

You don’t need to eat like a bodybuilder on prep to lose fat.

Of course the quality of your diet matters, protein, carbs, fats, fibre and micronutrients all matter.

But nutritious food can still taste bloody good, and food eaten purely for enjoyment has a place too.

Because when you’re building a lifestyle, structure, habits and a way of living that lasts, that’s going to include the living part. Meals out. Birthdays. Holidays. Food you didn’t cook or track.

What you eat occasionally won’t determine your progress. What you do consistently will.

Sometimes it’s the idea of what fat loss should look like that keeps you stuck in the vicious circles in first place, I know it kept me stuck for years.

Now don’t get this twisted..

Holidays ARE a time to enjoy and in immerse in food.

Try the foods you don’t normally have.
Eat the ice cream. Go for out for dinners. Have the cocktails. Order the thing you actually want not what you think you should have or the leanest option.

You’ve got the other 49ish weeks of the year to have more structure around your nutrition.

My point isn’t that your holiday should look like your Monday at home.

It’s that enjoying yourself doesn’t mean you need to completely abandon everything you normally enjoy.

And if every holiday, weekend away, birthday, night out or event makes you feel like you need to escape your normal way of eating completely or prolongs the return to any food structure…

I think it’s worth asking why?

Because maybe the problem isn’t that you lack discipline when these things come around.

Maybe your normal routine feels so restrictive that the second you’re “allowed” out of it, you want as far away from it as possible.

You are stuck seeing food as ‘good’ and ‘bad’, enjoying or punishing, indulging or restricting, and think you can only be following one or the other.

Real change happens when you find a way of eating you don’t need to escape from at every given chance. You finally escape the on and off the wagon malarkey.

Now I’m off to hunt down my final ice cream x

34/52 ☀️

Full week in Tenerife this week, plenty of sunshine, check ins and client work as usual, movement for enjoyment and not to tick a box, plenty of food some normal a lot not, cocktails by dreamy sunsets, more downtime and recharging.

Couldn’t be prouder of the community this week, there’s been a few occasions where I’ve seen nothing but support and encouragement for other girls in the community, that’s bloody so special, one example documented here.

Podcasts recorded with Deirdre O Kane came out this week too, hit me up if your interested in hearing us talk all things fatloss and the vicious circles that come with that (from experience).

Few more days here, more exploring side of things coming up over next few days 🚙🗺️, and then it’s back home and finalising prep for the inperson client event at the end of August (CANT WAIT FOR THIS), and a few other things that are in motion in the diary, for clients and also for me developing and growing as a coach …

As much as I love the time away and have appreciated the down time (probably the most I’ve took in a very very long time tbh), it’s a good sign when you are looking forward to your normal routine and structure too 🤷🏽‍♀️

Then we are into September, IMAGINE! Last few months of the year, time to put them to good use 👀🤌🏽

Have a great week! Use it wisely 🙂‍↔️

K

WHAT A BRIDE!!!!!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍

Can’t tell you how happy it made me hearing how Rebecca felt on the most important day of her life, and how everything we did from June - July had her feeling amazing in every way on her wedding day 😭😭😭

17LB loss is what you’ll see as the result here...

That’s not the biggest change, or win here for me.
Rebecca came to me thinking fat loss meant eating as little as possible. Burning as much as possible. Starting again every Monday after a “bad” weekend. Avoiding events in case they ruined her progress.

Instead she ate more than she ever had in a fat loss phase and seen results I knew she thought she wouldn’t, she had to fully trust me after so many ingrained beliefs, she did, which I appreciated.

We removed the runs she dreaded and thought she had to do for fat loss.

She stopped fearing fats, after we broke down why she needs them.

She showed up to hen parties, holidays, weekends. No spiral after.

She walked into her final dress fitting, falling more in love with the dress because it finally fit the way she wanted.

The real win isn’t the number on the scales, it was the habits and the mindset that are still there long after the wedding is over.

If you’ve spent years stuck in the on off cycle, there’s a version of you that doesn’t have to stay there, and will thank you for challenging that, like Rebecca.

Grateful for you taking on the challenge of attacking those narratives head on, and for trusting me on the lead up to your big day 🤍

Take from this, what you will x

32/52

A fun but productive week, I’ll add to that again, kinda also an emotional week in a good way, with ongoing conversations in the client group reflecting on what they get from coaching, and then clearing out my office to set up my standing desk, bringing to light how much has changed over the years and how I got here. It kinda hit me, where I am now, and what’s happened along the way, and how bloody grateful I am not only to do this, but for the girls that’s in the community right now, little do they know how much they inspire me. A lot of what they said, I didn’t even realise was things they get form coaching, which is a good sign that it comes a lot more natural for me.

Sprinkled in was more wins from the girls, physical progress yes, some building toward their half marathon, some getting through summer, some getting into the gym for the first time, I could go on, the proof here, is all wins are big wins, and all compound over time.

Sprinkled in was little Eli’s birthday, closing some loops in coaching and my environment, and getting ready for the summer holiday, reading for some downtime, rest and recouping a few regimented months in both work and routine, movement for fun, walks for pleasure, some meals and beverages out of the ordinary, as a holiday should be. But clients will still very much looked after and have all the support they need, just will be putting less pressure on social media, education etc.

Now off to dip in the pool and cool off, sorry I know I’m being that person.

Have a fab week, if you needed a reminder to close any loops, let this be it, you will be glad you do.

K

I sent my clients one question, honestly spent the rest of the evening with my eyes filling with each response.

I expected answers about their results, their programme, maybe even their targets.

Instead, they told me how they felt.

What surprised me most was that so many of the things they mentioned are things I don’t even realise I’m doing anymore.

Making someone feel safe enough to be honest. Helping them stop judging themselves after one ‘bad day’. Celebrating their wins like they’re my own. Genuinely wanting it and the best for them in every way.

To me, that’s just what coaching should be.

These messages reminded me that coaching isn’t about handing someone the perfect plan. It’s about helping them become the kind of person who can keep showing up, even when life isn’t perfect.

Beyond grateful for every single one of them, they inspire me more than they know.

If you’re ready to build a life you don’t need to escape from, DM me “READY.”