Podcast

Protecting our Self-Esteem and Stress Level with Bryce Batts

SHOW NOTES: Episode 18

On today’s episode, I have Bryce Batts here talking more about self-esteem and stress. Bryce is a certified career coach with 13 years as a recruiter in the AEC industry and she is here sharing so much valuable information with us.

Bryce shares her background of playing sports and how that can sometimes be damaging to your self-esteem. She shares how weigh-ins for sports can truly be something you carry with you later. We talk about how the scale is just one tool that we use and how it does not define your worth. Bryce shares how she is changing the narrative with her two children and helping them to understand that weight is not everything. 

We also chat about reducing stress levels and how moving our bodies helps reduce those stress levels. Some other things that help with stress are: setting the tone for day with a good morning routine, getting outside, finding what works for you to be intentional with moving your body, or listening to music or a podcast.

It’s so important to make sure that you are carving out time for yourself each and every day. Find what works for you and take that time to help your stress levels every day!

Thank you for tuning in! I hope you enjoyed this episode. If so, please leave me a rating or review. I’d also love to connect with you on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking. Chat with you there!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

  • How sports can sometimes be damaging to your self-esteem
  • Reducing stress levels
  • Moving your body can help reduce stress levels
  • Other ways we can help reduce that stress
  • Carving out time for yourself every day

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Connect with Bryce on Instagram, LinkedIn, or her website.
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Register for the “Feel Amazing Inside and Out” 5-day challenge HERE.
  • Are you looking to improve your relationship with food and end the yo-yo, constant dieting and make the changes you need while being able to fully live your life? Let’s talk more! Submit this form and let’s chat!
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Heart, Soul, Mind, & Body Wellness

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Exercise · Fat Loss · Fitness · Goals · Health · Hormones · Lose Weight · Metabolism · Muscle Gain · Weight Loss · Workout

Morning vs Evening Workouts

Morning vs evening workouts. This topic is one that has been debated for ages, and yet we still don’t have a definitive answer. Some people love morning workouts. For those people, working out is part of their morning routine. I am one of those people. For me, it’s coffee and Jesus time (reading my Bible and prayer time), and then a workout. Other people cannot possibly fathom waking up any earlier than necessary – especially to workout. These people love using their end of day workouts to destress and decompress from the day’s events. 

So does it really even make a difference at what time of day you choose to workout? Yes and no. Clear as mud, right? 

Ultimately, the answer to this question is this…the best time to exercise is whenever the best time is for YOU to do it consistently. Do you love getting your workout in before the day gets started so you have your evenings free? Great! Stick with morning workouts. Are evenings the only time you have to squeeze in a workout or it just doesn’t happen? Perfect! Workout in the evening. When you sit down and look at the facts, people who make fitness a priority and workout consistently see more weight loss and better results over time. Studies have shown that your body adapts to your routine, meaning that if you condition your body to workout in the mornings, you will get better results during morning workouts, and vice versa. 

Now, with that being said, let’s discuss the benefits and disadvantages of both morning and evening workouts:

Let’s start with morning workouts:

  1. When you exercise on an empty stomach, or in a “fasted state,” you actually burn more fat then when you exercise after eating, or in a “fed state.” The reason for this is that your body has to use existing fat stores to fuel your workout, not the food you just consumed.
  2. Working out in the morning may help to improve your sleep cycle. I am not naturally a morning person. I used to be the person that slept until the absolute last minute and scrambled in the mornings to get out the door. But after several years of incorporating a morning routine (AND having a child that is an early riser), my body has shifted into a different pattern. Morning exercise can help shift your circadian rhythm so that you are more naturally tired in the evenings to fall asleep earlier and you are able to wake up earlier with more energy. Morning exercise also promotes deeper sleep. Sleep is SO important for overall health. Sleep also aids in muscle growth, so if you are getting deeper sleep, you may also see more strength gains as well. 
  3. Working out in the morning can help you establish a solid fitness regimen. It’s a fact that people who workout in the morning are more consistent simply because they knock it out at the beginning of the day before the days get away from them. There’s far less room for excuses this way. If you get your workout in first thing in the morning, before activities, work, kids, friends, and LIFE start to pull you in a million directions in the afternoon, you don’t have to worry about skipping the workout because it’s already done. 

Now let’s chat about the benefits to working out in the evening:

  1. It can help to relieve stress. Exercise is such a great stress reliever ANY time of day, but working out in the evenings can help alleviate the stress of the day and help blow off steam. 
  2. You also have hormones working in your favor. Your body produces more testosterone (men and women alike) in the afternoon, and testosterone is importantly for muscle building. So if you are looking to build muscle and gain strength, evening workouts may be more beneficial for you.
  3. Research has shown that most people physically function better later in the day. Endurance, strength, and flexibility improve as the day goes on, so your physical performance may improve as a result. Also, evening workouts use less oxygen, which can make workouts more effective and can help with endurance and performance. So if you are a serious competitor training for a specific goal or competition, evening workouts may be the way to go. 

The bottom line is that the TIME of day you choose to work out doesn’t matter as much as actually making sure you get it done. Choose a time that works best for you and your particular habits and lifestyle, and then stay consistent with it. Studies have shown that people who work out consistently at the same time every day have better results, no matter the time they choose.

If you choose morning workouts, just be sure to take time to warm up properly to wake up muscles that may be cold and tighter from being inactive from sleep. If you choose evening workouts, make sure you put it on your calendar and make it a priority so you control your day and not let the day end up getting away from you. No matter the time of day, set yourself up for success with a plan in place so excuses no longer win…and I guarantee you’ll see results. 

Which team are you? Share with me in a comment – are you team morning or evening workout?