  CAN I JUST SAY, "YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE"! Your incredible response to our Black Friday Sale has been overwhelming! Whether you are at the beginning or well into your fitness journey, we are grateful for the opportunity to challenge you with impactful workouts that show you just how capable you are! The bonding that happens when we work together, accomplishing hard things, and staying committed to our goals, is exactly how we create the community that we have at CoreStrong! Thank you for showing up and giving it all you've got! NEW PRICING BEGINS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3rd!
 A monthly feature in our newsletter, thanks to Briana Crotinger LMT! Briana has a wealth of knowledge and loves to research and share her findings! With over a decade of bodywork, kinesiology, and pain management experience, she weaves her knowledge into her barefoot myofascial massage practice at Mend Bodywork. BREAKFAST ANYONE? You might remember from last month’s Macrostax article that I spent a whole lot of time talking about the importance of breakfast in my protein goal journey. I also made mention that Kerry, Natalie and I formed a Breakfast Club to keep each other accountable, because, let’s face it, we know that breakfast is “the most important meal of the day” but the hardest to implement. And if you are preparing for the Macrostax challenge coming up in January, trust me, make breakfast a habit now. Listen, I can regale you with enough scientific data on the importance of breakfast until you cry Uncle. I can tell you that your iced coffee is not a proper breakfast and will spike your cortisol levels. I can climb to the top of the Wells Fargo building and scream that skipping breakfast is wrecking your hormones and causing that dreaded midday crash. That waking up not hungry is not a good sign, and that not getting enough protein in the morning will leave you starving for the rest of the day. But here’s the truth, I don’t need to dig up those scientific articles- you already know all this. Facts don’t necessarily lead to action, so instead, here’s a tale of your instructors Kerry, Natalie and myself navigating our way into making breakfast a habit over the last 60 days, and what we learned by putting these scientific principles into action. What was your main motivation for implementing a breakfast habit? Natalie- “I want to be a good example for my girls. It’s important that they see me eat balanced meals so they grow up to have a good relationship with food.” Kerry- “I just wanted more energy!” Briana- “I knew I was going to have to frontload all of my protein in the morning or the Macrostax challenge was going to be a flop, but I also just wanted more energy. The midday exhaustion was getting out of hand.” What were the greatest benefits you experienced from eating a daily breakfast? Natalie- “I noticed more energy, no “crashing” midday. I also had no midday or early afternoon headaches. I was able to lift more and push harder with cardio. I noticed no dizzy spells, which I often noticed with my super low blood pressure.” Kerry- “With incorporating 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking, I’ve noticed a huge change in my energy. I never realized how beneficial it was to not only get breakfast in, but within an hour of waking.” Briana- “Hands down, my energy levels. I could finally go all in at CoreStrong and still be humming through my back to back 90 minute massage sessions. No more afternoon bonks!” What surprised you the most about committing to this breakfast habit? Natalie- “That there was no weight gain, even though eating breakfast increased my calorie intake.” Kerry- “I think because I didn’t eat breakfast for so long, that I lost my awareness of hunger. Now that I’ve been getting in my morning protein breakfast, I’m actually not only more hungry in the morning, but I’m getting appropriate hunger cravings throughout the day.” Briana- “I’m with Kerry and Natalie on this one. I finally have normal hunger cues, which at first was a bit scary. I was eating a lot more than I used to, and feeling hungry was a new sensation. But like Natalie, I didn’t experience any unwanted weight gain.” What was the most challenging part about making breakfast a habit? Natalie- “The biggest challenge I had was to make sure I planned accordingly, even planning out my breakfast the night before and also my lunch on the days I was at the studio for several hours.” Kerry- “A lot of times I was teaching/working out soon after I woke up. I would always have my protein shake but I needed to remember to have a bit more breakfast after I worked out. Sometimes that was hard when I got busy with work. I then decided to set an alarm on my phone so I wouldn’t forget to get my “second breakfast” in.” Briana- “I went more than a decade without breakfast, so pushing through the morning and chugging a protein shake when I didn’t feel hungry was really hard at first. I had to reframe my morning breakfast like brushing my teeth or showering- it’s not necessarily fun, but it is good for me.” What was your favorite or go to breakfast? Natalie- “A piece of avocado toast on sourdough with four ounces of either baked salmon, baked chicken, or baked tofu on the side, drizzled with basil olive oil, lemon juice and chili flakes.” Author’s note- Natalie has the most beautiful breakfasts and needs to make a cookbook. Kerry- “For me, the days I worked early, my go to was a 30g protein shake followed by 20g of protein yogurt after my versa class. On the days I don’t teach, my go to is eggs, cottage cheese and sourdough toast.” Briana- “Within an hour of waking, it was 50 g of vital collagen protein powder in almond milk- every single day. I like to streamline things. After my core workout I’d do a slice of sourdough with avocado.” Any tips for those just starting their breakfast habit? Natalie- “Plan accordingly and have a support system!” Kerry- “Create a support system!” Briana- “Streamline the process. Pick one high protein option, and stick with that for 30 days. Eat it as fast as you can if you have to, but just prioritize it within an hour of waking. The first week or two is really difficult so just push through. Also, the accountability helped a ton! Not wanting to eat but knowing I’d have to post a picture in the group chat was a big motivator.” Here’s to healthy habits for 2025. See you in class!  WINTER CHALLENGE 25: MEGA - VERSA - OR COMBO - GOAL OF 32 CLASSES
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