Paige Balius Fitness

Big thanks to VoyageAustin for reaching out to me and for making space for this conversation. Here's the link to the interview, if you're curious:

Inspiring Conversations with Paige Balius of Paige Balius Fitness Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Balius. Hi Paige, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?I was working a desk job in my early 20s, not living my healthiest life, when I wanted to make a change. I started taking […]

It feels soooo good in the shade! Why go without it?

If you've been told you need to start strength training, but don't know where to start, this video is for you. It is for absolute beginners and includes an easy follow-along tutorial. If you try it, let me know what you think! Thanks!

How to Start Strength Training for Women Over 40 (Easy Follow-Along Tutorial) Are you a woman in midlife who has been told you need to start strength training, but you don’t know where to start? This easy follow-along tutorial will te...

I started a YouTube Channel! My goal is to reach more midlife women who want to get fit but don’t know where to start, or maybe need to change things up that aren’t working for them anymore. There are so many younger influencers out there showing amazing tricks that the human body can do, but I just don’t see many my age who give practical, realistic advice that actually works for midlife women.

I’m starting with shorter videos while I get the hang of editing. It’s ridiculous how long it took me to get the first one published, but I have a better grasp of it now. I’m proof that it’s never too late to learn something new! Check it out and let me know what topics you’d like me to cover. Thanks for your support!

Easy Fix for Crunchy Knees for Women Over 40 Do your knees sound "crunchy" when you squat or lunge? This is a common issue for women over 40 during perimenopause and post menopause. Try these 4 simple s...

I would volunteer to be the average person in the artistic swimming event to show context, but I'm pretty sure I'd drown. These athletes blow me away!

I've been eating this quick & easy "peach cobbler" a lot this peach season. It's so good!

• 1 Peach, chopped (pit removed)
• 2 T. chopped pecans
• 1 spoonful vanilla bean ice cream (I like Häagen-Dazs)

Microwave the peaches and pecans on high for about 90 seconds, or until the peaches soften and release their juices. Top with ice cream and enjoy as dessert!

Estrogen and Progesterone - these are our female s*x hormones that gradually decline as we approach menopause, when we stop producing them entirely. Unfortunately, once they’re gone, there is no way to replace them without Hormone Replacement Therapy, BUT there are some symptoms that are related to their decline that can be helped with exercise.
* Women who exercise report having fewer hot flashes than those who don’t. Hot flashes seem to occur most often in the first 2 years following your last period, although they can come earlier and hang around longer.
* During perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause; those years where estrogen and progesterone start to fluctuate wildly then decline) women can experience depression and anxiety when they hadn’t before. Exercise can help with depression by boosting your mood. Strength training, in particular, can help with anxiety. Being strong gives you confidence. Strong women are confident women. That can help lessen the effects of anxiety.
* Strength training can also help minimize visceral fat that follows estrogen decline by boosting fat metabolism. So can HIIT, as long as it’s not done too frequently.

As a mobile trainer, I also go to offices! I especially love the freezing cold ones right now. You know, the same ones that are hotter than Hades in winter.

Some buildings have gyms and some have closet-size offices. We make it work!

Tonight's dinner ALMOST fits the Happy Plate guidelines from The Happy Kitchen, the program I used to teach from The Sustainable Food Center:
1/4 plate is protein
1/4 plate is starch (grains/starchy veggies)
1/2 plate consists of fruits & veggies (preferably more vegetables than fruit)
In tonight's case, I could have put more veggies on my plate, but not shown is the watermelon I ate for dessert and the extra potatoes I ate while cooking the salmon. Air-fried potatoes with chili powder are irresistible!

Both strength training and HIIT are effective at increasing the burning of visceral fat once the exercise session ends and your body starts recovering and rebuilding. Visceral fat is the fat you can’t pinch. It's the fat that surrounds your organs, putting stress on them, making them have to work harder. Unfortunately, visceral fat is self-perpetuating. It releases hormones that worsen insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, in turn, enhances fat storage. The cycle continues, which could ultimately result in diabetes, where your pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to control your blood sugar.

Of course, what we eat also plays a big role in how much visceral fat we store. Eating nutritious foods combined with the right type and dose of exercise can keep that visceral fat to a minimum.

fat

After a hard workout, you don’t need to take the next day off entirely. Moving your body throughout the day, performing standard daily living activities, is very important, like the example of this woman here mowing the lawn. And you don't have to stay away from formal exercise, either. Steady-state cardio at a low to moderate intensity or any other type of exercise that you enjoy - something that moves the body but lowers your cortisol levels: walking/hiking, yoga, Tai Chi, dance, etc. - these can promote recovery and relieve soreness. So, don’t think you have to stay glued to the couch for 48 hours after your HIIT or strength training workout in order to recover. It's way better to move.