Elizabeth Stacey Ellis - Fit with EASE, 121 South New York Avenue (2026)

09/10/2021

This simply isn’t talked about enough. This is just too important not to
・・・
One issue that must be accounted for in any behavior-related study is something called “the over-attribution error.” This error is is the tendency for people to over-emphasize personality-based explanations for behaviors while under-emphasizing situational explanations.

For example, I could be stuck at a work conference and all that’s being served is pizza. I’m starving, I haven’t eaten, but there’s nothing else to consume. So I eat a slice of pizza.

Does that mean Erin has an issue controlling herself around pizza, or was the environment imposing pizza upon her?

A critical part of our biology that we can’t afford to overlook is our ancient ability and drive to seek calories + consume high volumes of energy when possible.

We currently live in a food culture that literally surrounds us with constant, delicious, high-calorie feeding opportunities.

But then we’re told not to eat them by our various diets designed to deal with this “problem.”

Now bring our biology back into the story, and it’s clear that its a literal tug-of-war between our survival mechanisms and our ability to execute top-down control and suppress impulsivity.

There’s really no “right” way to handle this, given the environment. But a nice place to begin deciding how to navigate this part of our lives is to first remember that we can’t merely over-attribute our feeding tendencies to sheer personality, willpower, or discipline. Then, we can decide how to build as many nourishing environments as possible into our lives so that we can perhaps be a bit insulated from the crazy food culture around us.

Have you ever assessed your environment, lifestyle, communities, friends/family, and even physical spaces (including your kitchen) when investigating your nutrition? This requires putting “willpower” on the shelf for a moment, but it may help you shine light on some wonderful areas of opportunity that can serve your health.

23/09/2021

What’s the best way to 📏 progress?

When we have a goal it’s helpful to set a benchmark to know when we’ve hit that goal. Fitness/nutrition goals are no different. However, some forms of measurement are better than others. Here’s a breakdown!

📈 BMI: EH, NOT GREAT. BMI doesn’t take into account a person’s body fat vs their muscle content. Muscle “weighs more” than fat (because it is denser per cubic inch) so oftentimes measurements are either over or underestimated.

📉 BF%: TRENDS MATTER MOST. Unless you are a figure competitor, the actual number isn’t what’s valuable: the TREND is. Is your body fat trending ⬆️ or ⬇️? Is it congruent with your overall goal? That’s all you need to focus on. Also, most forms of BF% tools have varying margins of error and thus aren’t 100% reliable.

⚖️ Scale: COULD BE HELPFUL. If you have a fat loss goal (~ 10 lb loss or greater) tracking your scale weight is probably one biomarker to pay attention to. But again, overall trends are what matter most. Is the # trending ⬇️ over time? Is that the goal? Then awesome! When is it not helpful? If you’re happy with your weight but want to “lean out” or “tone up”, the scale may not be the best metric since muscle is denser than fat. In this case, see the next two bullets!

📏 Measurements: USUALLY PRETTY DARN HELPFUL. I recommend measuring 1 inch below the belly button (this is generally the area of the waist we see most change) and the widest part of your hips. Scale weight fluctuates on any fat loss journey, so when the scale isn’t moving, seeing progress in other ways can help keep you motivated.

📸 Photos: PRETTY DARN HELPFUL. Over all of the things listed above, clients typically get most jazzed about their own progress photos. It drives home that numbers don’t matter as much as what we are observing and how we feel in our own skin!

📊 Habits: VERY VERY HELPFUL! This is probably the most overlooked, and yet, most valuable form of measurement. Tracking habits you’ve built over time is something no # or % can take away from you. Plus, it fosters a sense of success and confidence and helps you continue to commit to your goals every day!

19/09/2021

Started my morning with a trip to the barre with some good people! 💪

Thank you for an awesome class! And thank you for sweating next to me (while I silently died! 😅).

Instantly brought me back to my NYC days when I was a barre instructor! Always such a challenging, feel good workout. The music, the fast-paced feel, the control and endurance required…and the cool down was so beautifully executed too. Can’t wait to return!

How are you moving today!?😍

Reminder: it doesn’t always have to involve the barbell! Move in ALL the ways you LOVE! ❤️

16/09/2021

It’s cold and flu season! (Except is it, when we’re in the middle of a global pandemic? 😂🤧)

I’d you’re down for the count, I’m sending some good vibes your way!

Here’s what you need to know about training while sick. The wonderful team at break it down in an easily digestible way! Just swipe to learn more.

The slides outline:

✅ Innate and adaptive immunity
✅ what type of exercises you should select and what to avoid
✅ how exercise affects our immune system
✅ a guideline based on symptoms for choosing the best type of exercise (or rest), intensity, duration etc!

Be sure to save this for when you need it! 🤧 (hopefully you don’t!) 😀

13/09/2021

Want to know a secret formula for building your own bulletproof workouts?

💥 Focus on movement pattens! 💥

Does your workout include at least one variation of each of the 7 movement patterns? For full body strength/athleticism, most of your workouts should! With this formula, you can create endless unique workouts depending on the variations, sets/reps, and order you choose.

What are the 7 movement patterns?

✅ Squat
✅ Hinge
✅ Push
✅ Pull
✅ Lunge
✅ Anti-Movement Core*
✅ Gait

⏩ SWIPE TO SEE EXAMPLES of exercises from each category and a FREE workout using this formula.

Takeaway: when you focus on movement patterns, programming becomes simpler. The variations, sets and reps and the order in which they are placed all should reflect the desired outcome of the session (the goal).

Working with an experienced trainer can help organize your goals into a well designed program.

*Terming this “Anti-Movement” to include all core exercises that resist movement (anti-rotation, extension and lateral flexion).

08/09/2021

Are you working toward anything in the gym right now? I’d love to hear about it!

Personally right now I am working toward consistency. Just showing up! Between travel, family time, personal development and my business there hasn’t been a ton of time/energy left over for working out TBH. Which, if you know me, is usually not the case!

Just remember: there are seasons for everything. And sometimes we have to change the balance of our priorities. 😃 It doesn’t mean it has to look like this forever, it’s just how it looks RIGHT NOW.

I’m aiming for three workouts a week right now. No particular goal other than showing up and leaving better than I arrived!

So, what are you working toward right now? Leave it in the comments below! ❤️

01/09/2021

What is one of the simplest ways to promote fat loss, ♥️ health, circulation, digestion, mood, endurance and even 🦴 density?

🚶🏽‍♀️WALKING! 🚶🏾

Guys, I know this prrrrobably doesn’t sound sexy. LOL Esp compared to ripping weights off the ground.

But in today’s 🌎 , most of us probably sit A LOT at work and most of us probably drive a 🚗 to commute.

Let’s do some math…

If you have a typical 9-5 and a 30 minute commute one way, that’s 9 hours of sitting. And that doesn’t count the sitting you do when you get home from work (eating dinner, watching TV) … and then you lay down and go to bed. 😕 That could add up to ~20 hours of being sedentary.

Of course you can’t change the nature of your job by tomorrow (unless you walk in and quit which I’m not suggesting LOL unless to want to and then in that case GO YOU!). And you may not come home at the end of a long day with the energy or willpower to do a hard workout … but you know what you can do? Go for a walk! This one habit change can have incredible benefits. And it’s not hard or complicated!

HOW TO GET STARTED:

🗓 Set a goal for yourself this week! If you’re just starting out, aim for 20 minutes at a brisk pace, as many days a week as you can. Add 5 minutes every week until you reach 30-60 minutes! [ Don’t forget ☀️ SPF!]

👟 Wear a step tracker and aim for 10K steps/day. Things like parking your car at the end of the lot or taking the stairs all add up! If you’re a parent of a little one: running after a toddler, marching up and down stairs to change diapers, and running around the playground all count!

💼 If you’re at work (and if it’s mostly sedentary), set a timer to stand up every hour and move, like standing to do some stretches, toe touches or body weight squats.

And I’ll say it again: every little bit truly counts. Offer to take the 🗑 out to the street this week. Have a dance party with your kids. Borrow a 🐕 and take it for a walk LOL. Put the baby in the stroller and hit the road. It’s easy to brush these things off as small, but they are very influential. Movement is movement! And it’s all beneficial.

Swipe to see my favorite walking buddy! 👧🏻💕

29/08/2021

What’s the easiest way to increase your intake of healthy (aka nutrient-dense) foods?

✨FOCUS ON ONE-INGREDIENT FOODS!✨

I love this strategy, because it’s simple but super effective.

One ingredient foods:

🍗 chicken
🍎 apple
🍚 brown rice
🥦 broccoli, etc.

💡 Why it’s helpful:

It reduces the intake of processed/packaged foods and increases the amount of nutrients you are getting. Plus it may…

✅ increase overall health and longevity

✅ decrease inflammation

✅ encourage fat loss (since it’s a lot harder to over-eat these types of foods!)

TIP: Focus on creating 80% of your meals with one-ingredient foods for increased health and lean mass!

POP QUIZ: how many 🥚 were harmed in the shooting of this photo? 🥴 🤣 Leave your guess below.

26/08/2021

What’s the quickest way to put on lean mass? 💪🏽 Here are three non-negotiables to adding muscle.

1️⃣ LIFT HEAVY AND OFTEN.

Lifting weights ⬆️ tension and stress on the muscle, encouraging it to grow. As we get stronger (aka as our body adapts to the current stressor), we need to ⬆️ the stress to continue gaining muscle/strength (either by increasing reps or load) This is what we call “progressive overload”.

2️⃣ EAT ENOUGH. ESP PROTEIN.

Firstly, you have to eat enough. “How much” will look different for everyone. But you will have a hard time putting on lean mass without eating the calories to support it.

Secondly you need to keep protein intake high. Protein contains important amino acids that are building blocks of muscle. Therefore eating enough protein helps rebuild the muscle after each workout. Aim to eat ~1g of protein per pound of bodyweight a day for maximum benefits.

3️⃣ PRIORITIZE COMPOUND LIFTS.

Compound lifts are multi-joint movements that place substantial tension on our big muscle groups and require full body strength. It may be helpful to place these at the top of your totem pole in terms of prioritizing exercises during your workout if you want to gain muscle/strength. All other exercises would then be chosen as secondary movements to support the end goal.

❓🤷🏽‍♀️ What are the main compound lifts? IMO…

✅ Deadlift
✅ Squat
✅ Bench Press
✅ Overhead Press
✅ Pull-Up

Other exercises like lunges or abdominal movements for example are essential to a well balanced body and can be added after your main lift. Then, accessory work or conditioning. But the point is: don’t put the cart before the horse.

Choosing your compound lifts, secondary exercises, sets / reps, etc all depends on the goal — which muscles you want to prioritize/grow, etc. This is where a qualified trainer can come in!

And lastly …

🙏🏽PATIENCE.🙏🏽 MUSCLE REQUIRES PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY. You have to build up to compound lifts and lifting heavy. Just showing up. If you follow these tips I promise the will come!

What is something you learned today?

15/08/2021

💥 YOU ARE OVERLOOKING THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR ROUTINE💥

The most important thing that almost everyone forgets to program into their workout routine…

RECOVERY.

Yep. Recovery days are EQUALLY as important as working out. And no, you don’t need any fancy tools to help you recover. You just need to take a day off from the gym.

Why?

Without proper recovery, you lack the ability to maximize your gains in the gym. During recovery, our body rejuvenates and rebuilds. Muscle fibers heal from the stress you created during your last workout. This ensures you can enter your next round of workouts with optimum strength, power and mental energy, too.

What are some good recovery day activities?

✔️ walk in nature
✔️ gentle yoga
✔️ soft tissue work
✔️ Epsom salt bath
✔️ mani/pedi and brunch 😅
✔️ piña colada’s
✔️ getting caught in the rain

Whatever you choose, just make sure you’re giving your body rest, and your nervous system time to down regulate. You can’t get stronger/faster/leaner/better without recovery.

And remember: more is not necessarily better. More may just be sore. 🤕 And soreness is not necessarily an indicator of an effective workout.

Say, what?! Yeah! It’s true!

Soreness is simply an indicator that you did something new/different. Either you lifted heavier than you have before, ran farther, engaged a muscle at a different volume than usual. It *can* be a sign of progress, that you’ve increased the challenge, but not every workout has to end in muscular soreness to be beneficial. Especially the stronger and more conditioned you are.

✅ Takeaway: Prioritize recovery days. Esteem them as PART of your training plan, not an afterthought. And don’t chase soreness; chase greatness!

10/08/2021

😀 IT’S TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD TUESDAY! 😀

Last week I launched this idea and I’d love to keep it going. Recently I’ve been in the habit of asking clients and friends … “Tell me something good!”

It’s brought ☀️ to my life and has encouraged me to focus on what’s good. And I hope it does for you too.

What’s good in your life, got ya jazzed, makin you smile, do a little dance? I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s mine:

Tomorrow Gracie girl and I leave town for my niece’s first birthday celebration! I cannot wait to kick off the festivities with and ! And I can’t wait to see the girls together again. It’s been two months too long!

Now … tell me something good below! 🥰

PS for those following my curly hair journey in my stories, this is pre-CGM. ➿

08/08/2021

❌ Biggest misconception when it comes to fat loss: choosing exercises to “target” body fat or “problem areas”.❌

📢 First of all, they aren’t problem areas. Your body and it’s fat are not a “problem”.

Secondly, as simple as it would be, *sigh* we cannot “spot train” for fat loss. Ex: we cannot do squats and expect to lose weight specifically in our thighs or do crunches and expect to lose weight in our waist.

‼️ Fat loss is a product of increasing your activity + regulating your calories‼️

The rate or the location of fat loss cannot be predetermined because each person loses at their own rate and in their own way.

Point is: with an ⬆️ in activity and a ⬇️ of calories, we can ⬇️ body fat overall but we cannot CONTROL where we lose fat.

But here's the coolest part: we CAN spot train for muscle growth! 💪🏽 With programming tailored to your goals, we can train to grow muscle in specific places.

Takeaway: A combination of nutrition with strategic training can make it possible to change the body composition and shape of your body. A caloric deficit can lead to ⬇️ fat overall, while strength training can lead to ⬆️ muscle. And it starts with specialized programming and nutrition.

Learn anything new today? Let me know below!

Elizabeth Stacey Ellis - Fit with EASE

09/10/2021

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