Coffee with Kate: Answers to ALL Your Questions About Some of My Favorite Things

Thank you for getting back to me with questions for the second edition of “Coffee with Kate!” I always love chatting with you ladies. Furthermore, I’m thrilled to connect with you more deeply and answer some of the questions that are on your minds. Submit more questions for our next coffee date via email with the subject line “Coffee with Kate!”

Coffee with Kate: Question 1. I saw you ate pie on IG stories on Thanksgiving. How do you handle holiday parties and times when there’s so much food and desserts around?

YES, I ate pie on Thanksgiving. And I enjoyed it 100% guilt free. Holidays come with the possibility of all kinds of indulgences, that’s for sure. Whether it’s deep fried turkey, buttery mashed potatoes or your mom’s famous pie, I think you should enjoy your favorite holiday treats…IN MODERATION.

Psst…it’s not just pie. I love buckeyes too?

When I’m at holiday parties with lots of food, I always eat my veggies first, protein second, and starch (or dessert) last. Enjoy pie and other simple carbs as the LAST part of your meal and only if you’re still hungry. Eating your vegetables and protein before you eat starch means you’ll feel more satisfaction, eat less, and experience less of a negative hormonal response.

There are lots of reasons that I enjoy pie and don’t put pie (or any other holiday food) on a “forbidden” list. Read about the 4 Reasons I have No Forbidden Foods here.  

Coffee with Kate: Question 2. I’m pregnant and I want to stay active but I’m not sure what workouts are best. What did you do for exercise during your pregnancies?

First off, congratulations! This is such an exciting time! I loved being pregnant with both of the BeyondFit kids. The benefits of prenatal exercise are undisputed, for both mom and baby, so I’m glad to hear you’re trying to stay active. When I was pregnant, I continued my regular BeyondFit Life workouts (hybrid weight training circuits) as well as sprints, with just a few modifications as needed. Following BeyondFit Life during your pregnancy will also help you cope during the postpartum period and keep the “baby blues” at bay when the time comes.

During the first trimester, provided your doctor does not give you any limitations, it should be safe to exercise as you did normally before pregnancy. But as your belly grows, stay aware of pregnancy modifications, like avoiding lying flat on your back and engaging your core properly when lifting weights. Read more about pregnancy modifications, as well as some of my best tips/tricks for morning sickness, heartburn, and more right here! 

We have quite a few pregnant mamas in our BeyondFit Life Club, so if you’re interested, we’d love to have you join us!  BeyondFit Life workouts (modified as needed) will help you AND your baby stay healthy!

Coffee with Kate: Question 3. I see you posting devotionals- what are some of your favorite books to read and what is your favorite Bible verse?

Yes, I do try to make it a priority to spend “devotion” time praying and reading the Word in the mornings. I also love to listen to sermons as I’m getting ready for the day, doing dishes, cooking dinner, etc.

My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:32, which says, “He would did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for all of us — how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” I love the reminder that Jesus died for me, and the Father has now bound himself to give me only good things. This verse draws me quickly to the central reality of all history. Ultimately, the cross and its out-workings make clear that even the harshest trials come to me as blessings, for my good, no matter how bad I feel at the time.

And as far as some of my favorite devotionals/books, I recently got this new advent devotional. I am excited to read that leading up to Christmas! A few more that I love include:

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Coffee with Kate: Question 4. Do you do cardio? If so, what’s your favorite type of cardio?

My cardio consists of lots of leisurely walking as well as one SPRINT workout per week! I started doing sprints with my stroller when my oldest son, Jackson, was just a few weeks old. Here’s the info on the jogging stroller I used for both boys! I use this style of training to get in shape not only from pregnancies to postpartum, but also as a way to build muscle and burn fat now in “maintenance” mode.

Sprints are one of the most effective cardio exercises you can do. They literally teach your body how to be an effective fat burner because of the hormonal changes they produce! Read 5 Reasons Why I Love Sprint Workouts for Moms!

Leisure Walks

As for leisurely walking, it’s not about burning calories. Rather it’s all about balancing hormones. If you want your body to burn fat, build muscle, recover properly, sleep better, and even age well, you must have the correct balance of stress-producing hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline) compared to growth-promoting hormones (testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH)).

Optimal fat burning takes place at a leisurely pace. Moderate intensity aerobic exercise raises cortisol and leads to muscle loss just as readily as fat loss. It also burns calories, but provides little hormonal advantage. So, I tell my clients to practice high intensity workouts combined with low intensity, leisurely walking for best results.  

Finally, leisure walking is done slowly at a relaxed pace, allowing you to easily carry on a conversation (a speed of 3.5 or less on a typical treadmill) and should be done as much as feasible everyday.

Coffee with Kate: Question 5. I saw you post about the deployment of your husband. I didn’t know you were a military wife! I am too! What are your best tips for getting a workout in when you’re a “single mom” when your husband is gone?

My husband, Patrick, is an aeronautical engineer and was officer in the United States Marine Corps. Within our first four years of marriage, he was deployed to Afghanistan for 16 months total. That doesn’t include the time he spent away from home training for those deployments! In total, we spent about ½ of our first four years of marriage apart. It was hard, but the Lord is good.  

I never had to go through a deployment with kids at home, so I can’t relate entirely, but as far as fitting a workout in with kids at home, my best tip would be to workout with your kids! (Or while they’re sleeping!)  

My favorite motto, “getting slim without the gym,” became even more important to me after becoming a mom. As you know, there are some days when getting out of the house to exercise is simply not an option. The good news? You CAN get fit in the comfort of your home. Don’t despair if you feel like you don’t have time to get to the gym. You can get a fabulous fat burning workout in with nothing but a set of dumbbells!  

BeyondFit Life Club

I also think that having social support, whether through friends, or family, or awesome women in an online community, like the BeyondFit Life Club, is key to staying accountable and on track with workouts. We are social creatures by nature. Additionally, we feel good when we have someone who listens and relates to us. If you don’t have a local group, connect with military wives in a similar situation online. If you need a friend, I’ll keep you accountable? The key is to establish a built-in support system and to make sure you have someone to help you on your journey.

Finally, ladies, I would love to travel this fat loss journey with each and every one of you! The BeyondFit Life Club has a place for you! Get the support, workouts, recipes and life tips you need to meet your fat loss goals today!