Excelerate Your Life

Can you train for a marathon, build muscle, and lose body fat at the same time? And what happens when your nutrition doesn't support the training you're doing? In this episode, I'm joined by EA coach Jill and her client Joanna, an ultra runner who came to coaching with big endurance goals alongside a desire to change her body composition. We discuss how they established a clear priority, what eating more to fuel her training actually looked like, and how her approach to food, recovery, and strength training changed along the way. We get into: • Fueling before, during, and after long runs • Why pursuing fat loss during a demanding race build can create competing priorities • Incorporating strength training alongside endurance work • Navigating injuries, deloads, and changes to the plan • Moving away from an all-or-nothing tracking mindset • Transitioning from endurance training into a season focused on muscle and strength Whether you're preparing for HYROX, training for a marathon, or balancing running and lifting, this conversation will help you think through what deserves priority and how to support it. Want a nutrition and training plan built around your goals? Apply for Excelerate Athletics coaching through the link below: https://go.excelerateathletics.com/fitness-coaching-application   Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malssfitnfoods/

What happens after a fat-loss phase ends? After losing nine to ten pounds during my 20-week cut, I'm sharing how I transitioned back to maintenance, increased my calories to around 2,100, and stayed within about two pounds of my lowest cut weight. In this episode, I walk through my personal reverse dieting experience, why I planned a maintenance phase before pursuing more fat loss, and how I'm measuring progress when losing weight is no longer the goal. We'll cover: • How I increased calories after my cut, including navigating three travel weekends • Why the scale can rise when you eat more without that increase all being body fat • How I assess my maintenance calories and weight trends • What tracking macros looks like now, with more flexibility and intentional days off • Why maintaining your results deserves just as much intention as losing the weight If you're nervous about eating more after a calorie deficit or unsure how to maintain your weight-loss results, this episode will help you approach your next phase with clearer expectations and a plan. Want support with fat loss, maintenance, and knowing what your body needs next? Apply for coaching with Excelerate Athletics through the link in the show notes. https://go.excelerateathletics.com/fitness-coaching-application   Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malssfitnfoods/  

What happens when the habits you associate with being a healthy, disciplined athlete start working against you? Meet Traci, the newest coach at Excelerate Athletics. In this episode, she shares how a lifetime in athletics led to restrictive eating, orthorexia-type behaviors, and eight and a half years without a period—and how that experience shaped her research on female athletes, amenorrhea, and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). We explore the physical and emotional sides of recovery, why knowing what to do doesn't always make it easy to change, and how her personal experience and research inform the way she coaches women today. If you've ever felt anxious about eating more, struggled to take a rest day, or wondered whether your "healthy" habits are actually supporting your goals, this conversation will give you plenty to reflect on—and a chance to get to know Coach Traci. If you feel like Coach Traci could help you in your journey, you can apply for coaching with her now through Excelerate Athletics. We'd love to help you take that next step! Apply for Coaching: https://excelerateathletics.typeform.com/to/aF6B6cs3

Eating healthy and working out consistently but not seeing the body composition changes you want? Your effort could be going toward habits that don't support your goals. In this episode, we're unpacking the "healthy" habits that can keep women stuck, from prioritizing protein while under-fueling on calories, carbs, and fats to chasing calorie burn and eating "clean" all week. These behaviors can feel productive, especially when you've spent years hearing that getting in shape means eating less and exercising more. We'll explore how diet culture shapes your food and workout choices, why hitting your protein goal doesn't tell the whole story, and how to recognize when your routine needs to change. If your goal is to build muscle, get toned, and improve your relationship with food, this episode will help you rethink where your effort is going and start making choices that better support your results. Ready for nutrition and training that support your goals? Apply for 1:1 coaching with Excelerate Athletics through the link in the show notes. https://go.excelerateathletics.com/fitness-coaching-application  

How much protein do you actually need to build muscle, lose fat, and get toned? And could your focus on eating more protein be leaving you under-fueled? In this Fast Fit Facts episode, we're breaking down protein needs for women, why more protein doesn't always mean more muscle, and how increasing protein while keeping calories low can crowd out the carbs and fats your body needs. We'll cover: • A practical protein range for women who lift and when higher amounts may make sense • Why carbohydrates matter for strength training, workout performance, and recovery • What carbs, insulin, and muscle protein synthesis actually have to do with each other • Why eating more grams of carbs than protein can make sense for your body composition goals • What to do when you've hit your carbs and fats but still have protein left at the end of the day If you're hitting your protein, keeping calories low, and wondering why your workouts and results aren't improving, this episode will help you look at the bigger picture. Ready for nutrition and training that support your goals? Apply for 1:1 coaching with Excelerate Athletics through the link in the show notes. https://go.excelerateathletics.com/fitness-coaching-application  

What does sustainable postpartum weight loss actually look like while breastfeeding, working, traveling, navigating sleepless nights, and raising a baby? In this episode, I'm joined by EA client Kaetlin AND her coach, Coach Megan, to break down both sides of Katelin's incredible journey from 197 to 157 lbs. Kaetlin started with us five months postpartum and still breastfeeding. Over the next several months, she lost 40+ lbs and 3–4 pant sizes, got stronger, ran 2 miles for the first time, gained confidence she hadn't felt in years — and completely changed her relationship with food and fitness. But this wasn't months of perfect conditions. We're talking work travel, weddings, birthdays, a baby ER visit, teething, rough sleep, breastfeeding, weaning, hormone shifts…and plenty of weeks where doing everything "perfectly" simply wasn't realistic. Kaetlin shares what the process actually felt like, while Megan takes us behind the scenes of the coaching side — how we approached fat loss while breastfeeding, how the plan adapted to different seasons of postpartum life, and how Katelin learned to stay consistent even when life was anything but consistent. We also talk about the shift that happened along the way: from focusing solely on losing weight to getting stronger, feeling confident in her body, and realizing this was finally becoming a lifestyle instead of another cycle of dieting and starting over. If you're postpartum and wondering whether you can lose fat without extreme dieting, putting your entire life on hold, or waiting for life to finally "calm down," this episode is for you. 🎙️ We cover: • Postpartum weight loss while breastfeeding • How Kaetlin lost 40+ lbs without an all-or-nothing approach • How coaching changes during postpartum life • Navigating travel, weekends, poor sleep & motherhood • Staying consistent when life isn't consistent • Building strength and confidence alongside fat loss • Moving away from the "start over Monday" mentality • Breastfeeding, weaning & changing seasons of postpartum life • The mindset shift that made this a lifestyle instead of another cycle Apply for 1-1 coaching: https://www.excelerateathletics.com/coaching Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malssfitnfoods/  

If you want your body to look different next summer, the work might need to start now — and it probably isn't another fat loss phase. In this episode, we're talking about why fall and winter can be the perfect time to focus on building muscle, especially if you've been lifting weights, eating healthy, and still feel "skinny fat" or like your physique never really changes. We'll break down the difference between lifting weights and actually spending time in a muscle-building phase, why constantly trying to lose the same 5–10 pounds can keep you stuck, and why building muscle is often the missing piece if your goal is to look lean, toned, strong, and athletic. I'm also talking about the fear of gaining weight during a build, why the holiday season can actually be an amazing time to stop dieting, and how spending the next several months building could set you up for a completely different fat loss phase next spring. If you've been waiting until January to "lock in," this episode might change the way you think about the next six months. Ready for personalized coaching? Apply for one-on-one coaching here: https://go.excelerateathletics.com/fitness-coaching-application Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malssfitnfoods/  

Can you actually build muscle and lose fat at the same time? In this Fast Fit Facts episode, we're breaking down the truth about body recomposition—and why just because you CAN build muscle while losing body fat doesn't mean it's always the most effective approach. We'll cover why muscle growth is most optimal when your body has enough energy available, why beginners are more likely to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, and why recomposition becomes slower and more difficult as you become a more experienced lifter. Plus, we'll talk about the most effective way to approach your long-term physique goals using intentional build, maintenance, and fat-loss phases—so you can stop spinning your wheels trying to lose fat and build muscle at the exact same time and actually create the lean, strong physique you're working toward. Apply for 1-1 coaching: https://www.excelerateathletics.com/coaching Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malssfitnfoods/  

Does losing weight feel harder than it did in your early 20s? Before you blame your age, hormones, or a "slow metabolism," it might be time to look at the strategy you're still using. In this episode, Mallory breaks down why the body you want at 30 may require a completely different approach to fat loss, strength training, and nutrition than the one that worked at 20. We're talking about the difference between simply losing weight and actually changing your body composition, why building muscle is essential for looking lean and toned, and why constantly cutting calories can eventually leave you with nowhere to go. You'll learn why another calorie deficit isn't always the answer, when eating more and reverse dieting may actually support your long-term physique goals, why your nutrition needs different seasons, and how spending time at maintenance or focusing on muscle growth can set you up for a more successful fat-loss phase later. Plus, Mallory shares how she's approaching nutrition after her own recent fat-loss phase and why learning how to come OUT of a diet is just as important as knowing how to start one. If you've spent years trying to lose the same 10 pounds by eating less, doing more cardio, and starting another diet, this episode will help you rethink what your body may actually need to make progress. Enrollment for the 6-week Metabolism Reboot Challenge is open now! Learn how to increase your calories, fuel your workouts, build muscle, maintain your results, and set yourself up for future fat loss without living in a calorie deficit forever. JOIN HERE:   https://go.excelerateathletics.com/metabolic-reboot-challenge-fall26   Follow me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malssfitnfoods/  

If you're eating low calories, working out consistently, and still struggling to lose fat, another calorie deficit might not be the answer. In this Fast Fit Facts episode, we're breaking down 5 signs you need to stop dieting before trying to lose more fat — from stubborn fat loss plateaus and metabolic adaptation to poor biofeedback, lack of muscle, and an all-or-nothing relationship with food. We'll also talk about why spending intentional time at maintenance calories (or reverse dieting your way there) could be the missing piece in finally making progress again. If you've been trying to lose the same 10 pounds for years, constantly cutting calories, or wondering why what used to work isn't working anymore, this episode is for you. Ready to stop dieting and rebuild your runway for future fat loss? Join the Metabolism Reboot Challenge here:  https://go.excelerateathletics.com/metabolic-reboot-challenge-fall26