Back Porch Yogis Studio

03/28/2026

💥 Motivation vs. Discipline 💥

A lot of people start with good intentions…
but their “why” isn’t strong enough to carry them through.

Here’s the truth —
motivation fades. discipline doesn’t.

And if we’re being real…
👉 pain is one of the biggest motivators there is.

Pain in your body.
Pain in your relationships.
Pain in your finances.
Pain in your spirit.

At some point… you hit a line where you say:
“I’ve had enough.”

That’s where change actually begins.

But here’s where most people get stuck 👇
They say: “I just want to be healthy.”

What does that even mean?

Because my “healthy”
and your “healthy”
might look completely different.

For one person, healthy means:
✔️ Getting up out of a chair without assistance
✔️ Living without pain
✔️ Having the strength to stay independent

For another, it might mean:
✔️ Running 3 miles
✔️ Building muscle
✔️ Pushing performance

👉 Healthy has to be defined.

If your “why” is vague…
your effort will be too.

💡 Get clear. Get specific. Get honest.

Because discipline is built on clarity —
not feelings.

And if you don’t know how to turn your “why” into a plan…

I’ve got you.

Let’s build goals that actually stick.
Let’s define what “healthy” means for you.

— Coach Ima
“Moving from pain to strength”

03/14/2026

Sometimes the strongest work we do in class has almost no weight at all.

Friday morning Linda and I were working on cable flies, but before we add plates to the stack we have to make sure the body is lined up correctly.

Linda also has a previous shoulder injury, so we’re being extra mindful about how the movement is performed.

That meant slowing things down and dialing in a few important pieces:

heels → hips → ribs → shoulders

When the body stacks properly, the movement connects through the whole chain — hamstrings, glutes, back, and arms — instead of the shoulders trying to do all the work.

You’ll also notice her elbows are a little more bent. That’s a small modification to protect her shoulder while we build strength safely.

It doesn’t have to be perfect right away.
It just has to keep getting better.

That’s what we work on here at Back Porch Yogis.

Not just doing exercises…
but learning how to move stronger and smarter.

Moving from pain to strength.

03/11/2026

Studio Update

We have a few members currently working through injuries, and I’m currently 6 weeks post hip replacement surgery, so we’re making a few small adjustments to classes as we continue moving forward together.

Thursday 5:30 HIIT will be dialed back for a bit and focused more on mobility, control, and eccentric movements while everyone rebuilds strength.

This is actually a great opportunity to join us if you’ve been thinking about trying a class but were worried it might be too hard. We’ll be working more on foundational movements and building strength from the ground up.

If your knees hurt going up or down stairs, or you struggle to keep your core turned on during movement, this is exactly where you start.

Sometimes the best time to begin is when we go back to the basics.

01/25/2026

Fitness Readiness (the part nobody explains)

Everybody already knows the basics.
Eat better. Move more. Scroll less.
That information isn’t new.

What’s different is readiness.

There are stages before action ever happens.

First, there’s awareness.
You’re sitting on the couch, phone in hand, reading this — and something in you knows things could feel better. That matters. That’s not failure. That’s step one.

Then comes consideration.
“Maybe I should try.”
“Maybe I need to take some baby steps.”
This is where a lot of people sit for a while — and that’s okay. Changing an old habit takes mental energy.

Then comes preparation.
You decide.
You make a plan.
You schedule it out.
You choose a new habit over an old one.

And then — action.
You show up.

Here’s the part most people don’t realize:
Exercise doesn’t just work your muscles — it changes your chemistry.

Movement increases dopamine and serotonin (motivation and mood), releases endorphins (stress and pain relief), improves focus, balances stress hormones, and helps stabilize blood sugar. This is why people feel clearer, calmer, and better after they move.

The workout itself isn’t the hardest part.
Showing up is.

Once you’re there, the energy shifts.
You move, you get it done, and you leave.

The real magic is after.
After the workout.
After the task.
After the decision.

So if you’re still in awareness… you’re not behind.
If you’re considering… you’re not failing.
Readiness is part of the journey.

Action comes when the moment is right — and it sticks better when you’re truly ready.

01/20/2026

📊 How Fat Loss Actually Works (Simple, Not Sexy)

Most people think weight loss starts with cutting food.
It doesn’t.

It starts with understanding your numbers.

Here’s the simple framework 👇

1️⃣ Lean Body Mass
Your scale tells us how much of your body is muscle.
That number sets your minimum protein need — the floor, not the goal.
Protein protects muscle while your body changes.

2️⃣ Daily Burn 🔥
This is how many calories your body uses each day:
• just being alive
• moving
• training

This matters more than willpower.

3️⃣ Maintenance Calories
We track what you eat to find the level where your weight stays steady.
That’s maintenance.

No guessing. No extremes.

4️⃣ Small Adjustment
From there, we adjust 300–500 calories, not slash food —
and we keep protein high so weight loss comes from fat, not muscle.

5️⃣ Weekly Rhythm
Training days and rest days don’t need the same fuel.
We spread calories across the week so it fits real life.

📌 Nothing is random.
📌 Nothing is banned.
📌 As your body adapts, nutrition adapts.

This is why programs work — and random workouts + random eating don’t.

Simple framework.
Long-term results.
Moving from pain to strength.

01/20/2026

We don’t train to prove what we can do in one workout.
We train to build what lasts.

It’s easy to see a workout online and think,
“Look what they’re doing — I should try that.”

What you don’t see?

You’re usually watching 1 workout out of 20–30 that person has already done.

That workout didn’t stand alone.
It came after weeks of repetition, progression, and foundation work.

At Back Porch Yogis, we build programs with purpose — designed to meet you where you are and move you forward on purpose.

We use repetition with consistent progression because that’s how the body actually adapts:
• muscles wake up
• joints learn stability
• confidence grows
• injuries stay away

Our workouts may look “boring” on the surface — and that’s intentional.

Boring doesn’t mean easy.
It means effective.

When movements repeat, your body gets better at:
• standing up strong
• carrying groceries and laundry
• moving without fear
• staying mobile as life changes

We pair strength with mobility so you don’t just move more — you move better.

This isn’t about ego workouts.
It’s about building a body you can trust.

That’s how progress sticks.
That’s how you train for real life.

Moving from pain to strength.

01/10/2026

Core work isn’t about holding your body stiff or chasing longer planks.
It’s about learning how to control your spine.

When the pelvis drops, the core checks out — and the low back ends up doing work it was never meant to do. That’s when things start to feel cranky instead of strong.

This week we’re dialing the foundation back in.

We’ll use simple movements like cat–cow to:
• Feel what true core engagement actually is
• Learn how a posterior pelvic tilt should feel (not forced)
• Then carry that control into plank and shoulder work

We’ll only go as far as you can maintain control, not force the shape.

Core strength isn’t flashy — but it’s the reason everything else works better.
Stronger shoulders. Safer movement. Better posture. Less pain.

This is how we build strength that lasts.

01/01/2026

01/01/2026

Happy New Year, friends 💛

As we step into this new year, I want to pause and acknowledge how much growth we shared together this past year — not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and as a community. Showing up, listening to your body, learning when to push and when to rest… all of that counts.

I hope each of you enjoyed a much-needed holiday break — time with family, shared meals, laughter, slower mornings, and rest. That time matters.

As we return, this isn’t about “getting back on track” or fixing anything.
It’s about coming back to ourselves.

When we take care of ourselves — our strength, mobility, nervous system, and recovery — we are better able to take care of the people we love. This work always ripples outward.

As we move forward together, we’re starting from the foundation:
• Consistent movement
• Safe, steady strength
• Joint health, balance, and mobility
• Recovery that supports real life
• Habits that are sustainable

No rush. No perfection. Just showing up and building layer by layer.

✨ Classes resume Friday, Jan 2 at 10:00 AM.
This will be a foundation-focused class to gently reconnect after the holidays. Come as you are — we’ll build from there.

I’m grateful for each of you. We’re doing this together💪❤️

12/28/2025

Why I Share My Own Experience

If you’ve ever talked to me about fitness, you know how much I believe in sharing my own experiences — the good, the hard, and the recovery.

Not because I have it all figured out, but because I remember exactly how overwhelming it felt to start.

In the beginning, my journey didn’t look like “training.”
It was just a few small, consistent steps — yoga and mobility. That’s where my body was, and that’s where I started.

As my body changed, my approach had to change too.

I began noticing inflammation and arthritis more, and I started paying attention to how food affected how I felt. Over time — not overnight — I learned that sugar and preservatives didn’t support my body. They increased joint pain and inflammation. So I slowly adjusted. Not perfectly. Just intentionally.

Later, strength and conditioning became necessary, especially as I prepared for and recovered from hip replacement. Not to push harder or prove anything — but to support my body so I could keep living the life I enjoy.

That progression matters to me, because I understand the fear people have around getting started.
Not knowing where to go.
And the question I hear all the time:

“Where do I fit this into my day without giving up the things I like to do?”

For me, the signs that I was losing strength didn’t show up all at once.
They showed up in fatigue.
In slower recovery.
In normal days taking more out of me than they should have.

And I want to be really clear about something I hear often:

Weakness is not caused by getting older.
That’s a lie we’ve been told.

Loss of strength comes from not using it — and the good news is that strength comes back the same way it fades: slowly, consistently, and safely.

Feeling strong in your body matters.
It’s not about vanity or performance — it’s about capability.
And honestly, it’s non-negotiable.

Because we will all have something that forces a pause.
An illness that knocks us down for a week.
A surgery.
An injury.
A season where life just hits hard.

And when you’ve felt what that downtime does to your body — how quickly things feel harder, heavier, more exhausting — you realize how important strength really is.

Nobody wants to feel weak in their own body.
And nobody wants getting back to feel impossible.

That’s why I stopped looking at choices as good or bad. Instead, I started asking a better question:
Is this okay… or is there a better choice right now? Does this support my goals?

That mindset changed everything.

It showed up in small things.
One delicious cup of coffee with heavy cream? Totally fine.
Four cups a day? Not the better choice for me.

Same with alcohol.
Having a beer or two occasionally with friends or family fit my life.
Having them multiple times a week didn’t support my recovery or my energy.

Nothing was “bad.”
I just learned to choose better more often.

Movement followed the same pattern.

I do a little mobility work every day — nothing fancy, just consistent.
And even on days I’m not teaching or training with my students, I still show up for my own workouts. That part is non-negotiable for me.

And here’s the honest truth about time:

My strength and conditioning sessions are usually 20–30 minutes.
Focused. Planned. Intentional.

After that, I’ll spend 15–20 easy minutes on the bike — nothing crushing, just steady movement that supports recovery.

That’s it.

And the same goes for frequency.
One workout a week helps maintain strength.
Two builds momentum and confidence.
Three or more simply moves you forward faster.

There is no wrong place to start.

Strength training, mobility, nutrition, and recovery shouldn’t require sacrificing your life.
They should support it.

We don’t train to punish ourselves.
We train so our bodies can keep up with the lives we want to live.

💪❤️
— Coach Ima
Back Porch Yogis Fitness Studio
Training for Your Life | Moving from pain to strength

12/28/2025

Let’s clear something up 💬

Your fitness goals are not ruined between Christmas and New Year’s.
They’re ruined between New Year’s and Christmas.

So take a breath.
Come back to movement.
You’ll be just fine. 💪🏽❤️

— Back Porch Yogis Fitness Studio
Moving from pain to strength

12/27/2025

January at Back Porch Yogis Fitness Studio 💛

January here isn’t about extremes or starting over.
It’s about building a strong, steady foundation that supports your body for everyday life.

Our January program is intentionally designed around compound movements — movements that use multiple muscle groups at the same time, like squats, hinges, presses, pulls, carries, and gentle rotation.

We focus on these because they:
• Build real, usable strength
• Support joints and bone density
• Improve balance and coordination
• Help with everyday tasks like getting up and down, carrying groceries, and climbing stairs
• Support metabolism and long-term energy

Every workout is fully scalable.
That means movements can be adjusted whether you’re:
• New or returning to exercise
• Managing stiff joints or past injuries
• Concerned about balance
• Wanting strength without impact or rushing

You’ll never be expected to “keep up.”
You’re encouraged to move with control, intention, and confidence.

Strong doesn’t have to mean fast.
Progress doesn’t have to mean pain.
And fitness should support your life — not compete with it.

💛
Back Porch Yogis Fitness Studio
Moving from pain to strength