Active Lifestyle Fitness, LLC

09/21/2026

09/15/2026

Maybe you’re not hungry or you're too busy to stop and eat. Or maybe you think skipping a meal will help you lose body fat. But here’s the truth: regularly skipping meals will make it harder to support your health and fitness goals.

When you regularly skip meals, a few things can happen:

You miss out on important nutrients, especially protein and fiber.
Your body needs consistent protein to support muscle repair and growth over time. It’s not just about hitting your protein goal on the days you exercise. Your body is recovering and adapting on your rest days, too, and it needs adequate protein to support that process.

Fiber is also something your body needs regularly. It supports digestion, helps with fullness, and plays an important role in keeping your digestive system functioning properly in order to process everything that's going through it.

You don’t eat enough during the day, which can lead to late night cravings.
Your body doesn’t forget about the food you didn’t eat earlier. You might be able to skip meals or eat very little for a couple days, but eventually that energy deficit will catch up with you. You may find yourself becoming increasingly hungry, distracted by food, or craving quick sources of energy later in the day or the week. That’s often when it becomes much harder to make choices that feel aligned with your goals.

You’re more likely to grab whatever is convenient.
When you’re exhausted or suddenly very hungry, the easiest option often wins.
Small, highly processed snack foods can be easy to eat quickly without feeling satisfied. For example, a cup of strawberries and one Hershey’s Kiss contain roughly the same number of calories, but they offer a very different eating experience. You could easily eat five Hershey’s Kisses without thinking. Eating five cups of strawberries would be a very different experience! This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy candy or other processed foods. It means that relying on small, convenient foods will leave you feeling less satisfied and less nourished.

Your energy, mood, and workouts will suffer.
The tasks that keep you too busy to eat often require concentration, energy, and the ability to stay engaged with other people. When you’re underfueled, it will become harder to maintain that level of performance throughout the day. Your workouts will feel more difficult, your energy will dip, and your patience will become shorter. You can’t consistently ask your body and brain to perform at a high level without giving it the resources it needs.

Here are a few ways to stay ahead of the problem:

Have a small, nutrient-dense meal or snack.
If you don’t have time for a full meal, choose something simple that provides useful nutrients. For example:
Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries
Hard-boiled eggs or dried edamame and fruit
A protein drink with a banana and nuts
A simple sandwich or wrap
Something small is often better than going several more hours without eating.

Prioritize protein and fiber.
Protein and fiber can help meals feel more satisfying and support steadier energy throughout the day. Quick carbohydrate-based snacks may give you energy temporarily, but pairing carbohydrates with protein, fiber, or fat can help create a more balanced and satisfying meal or snack.

Plan ahead for busy periods.
Don’t wait until you’re extremely hungry to figure out what you’re going to eat. If you know you have back-to-back meetings, appointments, classes, or errands, eat something before that busy period begins, even if you’re not hungry.

Keep practical options available in your desk, car, gym bag, or purse. Having food available makes it much easier to make a reasonable choice when your schedule gets hectic.

Think beyond the immediate moment.
Instead of asking, “Do I feel hungry enough to eat right now?” also ask: “What will support my goals and my energy for the rest of the day?” Eating with intention, even when you’re not hungry, can help you stay consistent and avoid an evening crash and crave cycle.

You don’t need to eat perfectly. You do need to give your body enough food, consistently enough, to support the life and workouts you’re asking it to manage.
If you’re struggling to figure out how much to eat, how to structure your meals, or how to fuel your body while working toward your health and fitness goals, reach out. I’d be happy to help you create a realistic approach that works with your schedule and your life.

Ashley Brodeur, MS, CSCS
Owner, Active Lifestyle Fitness

09/08/2026

Sometimes, getting stronger means slowing down. When you're working out, it's easy to think that more is better; more weight, more reps, or more speed. Push harder, go faster, get it done.

But especially as we get older, there's a lot of value in slowing things down and actually paying attention to how you're moving. One of the biggest things I see is people rushing through an exercise because they're focused on getting the most reps or finishing the workout. When you rush, your form starts to change, you use momentum instead of muscle, you cut your range of motion short, and other muscles start taking over because the ones you're actually trying to work aren't strong enough to do the job yet.

When you slow down a movement, you give your body a chance to actually learn it.
You can feel what muscles are working, you can control the movement through the entire range of motion, and you can notice where you're struggling or compensating. And slowing down doesn't mean you're not working hard. Often times a lighter weight with better control will make an exercise significantly harder because you're more focused on the movement and being intentional with it.

This is also particularly important as we get older because strength isn't the only thing we're trying to maintain. We want things like mobility, stability, coordination, and to be able to control our bodies through the ranges of motion that we actually use in everyday life. What good is being able to lift a really heavy weight if you're sacrificing your ability to move well?

So the next time you're working out, don't automatically think about how you can lift heavier or move faster. Ask yourself:
Can I control this movement/weight well?
Am I using my full range of motion?
Can I feel the muscles I'm actually trying to work?
Am I moving with intention instead of just trying to get the rep over with?
Sometimes the next step in your progress isn't adding more, it's learning to do what you're already doing better!

If you're not sure how to structure your workouts, progress your weights, or make sure you're actually getting stronger without beating up your body, that's something I can help with. Reach out to me and let's talk about what you're working toward and how we can build a plan that works for your body and your life!

Ashley Brodeur, MS, CSCS
Owner, Active Lifestyle Fitness

09/01/2026

September is here! The kids are going back to school. Maybe you're a teacher and/or you have kids, or maybe you just let the summer get away from you a little bit. If you're somebody who says, "I always do better during the school year," or "I do better when my schedule has more structure," I want you to pay attention to that because it probably isn't that you're magically more motivated during the colder months, it's that you have more structure, and structure makes consistency easier.

So instead of saying, "Okay, I'm getting back on track," every fall, I want you to ask yourself a better question: What specifically helps me stay consistent? Is it...
Waking up at the same time every day?
Preparing your meals in advance?
Having your workouts scheduled at consistent times?
Think about the times in your life when you've been most consistent with your health and fitness. What was different about your routine?

The goal isn't to depend on the school calendar to keep you healthy. The goal is to figure out what the structure of your life is giving you right now that makes healthy habits easier, and then learn how to recreate some of that structure when life gets less predictable. There will always be seasons when your schedule changes and you can't eliminate all of those things, but you can learn what you need in order to stay consistent when they happen.

So as you head into September, don't just restart your school year routine and hope for the best. Pay attention to what makes consistency easier for you, then start building more of that into your life when school isn't in session. You don't need a perfect routine, you need a routine that actually works for you.

And if you're not sure what that looks like, that's exactly the kind of thing I can help you figure out. If you need help creating a health and fitness routine that fits your actual life, reach out to me. We can figure out the structure, habits, and accountability you need to keep moving forward!

Ashley Brodeur, MS, CSCS
Owner, Active Lifestyle Fitness

08/25/2026

I've struggled with my weight my entire life, and one of the things I used to do that I don't do anymore has to do with what happens the day after I eat more than usual.
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I used to wake up after an unusually big day of eating (holidays, etc) feeling completely stuffed. In response, I would skip breakfast and wait to eat until I was hungry in an attempt to reset my system. The problem with that strategy was that I'd get hungrier and hungrier as the day went on, and eventually I'd eat a lot toward the end of the day. Then I'd wake up the next morning not hungry again. Suddenly, I'd completely thrown myself out of my normal rhythm and I'd spend the next several days trying to figure out how to get back on track.

What I do now instead is I get back to my normal routine immediately the next day. Yesterday, for example, I ate more than I normally would, including some delicious baked goods. This morning I woke up feeling completely stuffed. But I ate my regular breakfast anyway because I know that I function better when I have structure and a consistent eating routine. Getting back into that routine this morning is going to get me back to feeling like myself much faster than my previous strategy.

Some people are incredibly intuitive with their eating and don't struggle with their weight. They can have a big meal one day, naturally eat less the next day, and everything balances itself out and they feel fine. If that's you, I think that's great! But that definitely isn't me. And if that's not you either, you need to stop trying to force yourself into a system that doesn't work for your personality or your body.

You don't need to:
Play the game of, "I ate too much yesterday, so I'm going to skip food today."
Dramatically cut your calories
Over exercise
Spend the next three days trying to compensate for one day

You need to:
Get back to your normal routine
Eat your normal meals
Get your normal protein and fiber
Drink your water
Move your body
Do your normal workout if it's on the schedule
And let your body settle back into its normal rhythm

The goal is to develop a routine you can return to when life happens. And if you know that structure helps you, definitely use it. Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is to recognize the patterns that help you feel your best and get yourself back into them even if it's uncomfortable.

If you need help creating an eating and fitness routine that works for your life and helps you stop bouncing between extremes, reach out to me. I'd be happy to help you figure out what that looks like for you.

Ashley Brodeur, MS, CSCS
Owner, Active Lifestyle Fitness

08/22/2026

Yes, we want you to get stronger. Yes, we want you to improve your health and fitness. But we also want you to feel supported while you’re doing it!

No judgment or intimidation, just a community of women who encourage each other, challenge each other, and show up together. Finding a workout you enjoy is important. Finding a place where you actually feel like you belong can make all the difference.

Thank you, Angela, for sharing your experience and for being part of our village!

08/19/2026

If you've ever pulled a muscle and then found yourself still dealing with that annoying "catch" days or even weeks later, pay attention to how you're moving. When you initially hurt something, your body's first priority is protection. It doesn't want you to make the problem worse, so the muscles around the area can tighten and brace to protect it.

The problem is what can happen next. Let's say you pull something in your back. You go to stand up from a chair and suddenly it catches. You tense up, make a weird movement to get away from the discomfort, and quickly shift your body in another direction. Then you do it again and again every time you stand up. Eventually, your body starts learning, "This is how we move when we stand up."

Now you've got muscles around the original injury staying tense and protective, and you're moving differently to avoid the discomfort. You can end up with a cycle where you're constantly bracing against the very movement your body needs to regain.

So what should you do instead? Don't ignore pain or force yourself through something that feels wrong, and if you suspect a more severe injury than a simple muscle pull, definitely go see your doctor. But when you're dealing with the normal discomfort of a healing muscle, try not to immediately panic and jerk your body away from it. If you stand up and feel that familiar catch, stop, breathe and let your body relax for a moment. Then allow yourself to slowly and deliberately move through the motion instead of immediately twisting, bracing, or shifting away from it. You're essentially teaching your nervous system, "This movement is okay. We can do this."

That doesn't mean you should aggressively stretch or push through significant pain. It means you don't want fear of discomfort to completely dictate how you move.
Your body is incredibly adaptable. That's one of its greatest strengths, but it also means it can learn protective movement patterns that stick around longer than necessary.

So the next time you pull a muscle, pay attention not only to the original injury, but also to what you're teaching your body afterward. And if you're not sure whether what you're experiencing is a normal muscle strain or something that needs professional evaluation, don't guess. Get it checked out!

If you're struggling with an injury, movement pattern, or figuring out how to safely get back to your workouts, reach out to me. I can help you figure out how to approach your fitness while you work toward getting back to feeling strong and capable!

Ashley Brodeur, MS, CSCS
Owner, Active Lifestyle Fitness
Fascia Stretch Specialist L3

08/18/2026

3 things from Costco you might want to buy:

1️⃣ Yaza Tzatziki: if you’re looking for a creative way to get a bit more protein in, chop up some veggies and use this as a dip! 7g protein for only 1/4c and the ingredients look pretty good!

2️⃣ Brami Protein Pasta: only 2 ingredients, 5g fiber, and 12g protein per serving! And it tastes good too! An easy way to get a boost of both fiber and protein into your meal.

3️⃣ Berries: they’re in season right now which means they’re cheap and delicious! Did you know that raspberries are one of the highest fiber foods you can eat? Only 1/4 of a Costco container gets you 6g fiber!

What do you buy from Costco that I should include next time?

08/17/2026

She’s a 10… and she can hold a plank for over 12 minutes 💪🏻

That’s not just core strength; that’s consistency, mental toughness, and a whole lot of practice. We love celebrating the big lifts, but strength also shows up in the things you can hold, control, and sustain.

Strong women don’t happen by accident. They show up, put in the work, and keep getting a little stronger. And yes, we’re pretty impressed with that 12 minute plank too 😉