Show Notes
Have you ever finished a workout and thought, "Wait… was that even hard enough?" Maybe you were not sore the next day. Maybe the exercises felt familiar. Maybe you have heard someone say your muscles need to be "confused" or "kept guessing" if you want to keep seeing results. And suddenly, repeating the same kinds of movements starts to feel like you are doing something wrong. I get why it sounds convincing. New workouts feel exciting. New exercises can make you sore. New formats can make you feel like you challenged your body in a completely different way. But does your body actually need to be confused to change? In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about muscle confusion, where this idea comes from, and what really matters if you want your workouts to keep working. We will also talk about why I give you five brand-new workouts every week inside Movement With Julie, while still bringing you back to the foundational movements your body needs to get stronger. What's Discussed: What people really mean when they say "muscle confusion"
What soreness can make you assume about your workouts
How to know when your body needs a greater challenge
Where variety actually belongs in your workouts
Why Movement With Julie gives you fresh workouts without random programming
How to keep training interesting while still building strength
Inside the Movement With Julie app, you get five brand-new workouts every week so training stays fresh, fun, and challenging without you having to piece together random workouts on your own. I handle the programming, the variety, and the structure so all you have to do is open the app, choose your weights, and press play. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started. If you loved this episode, you will also love Episode 566: What Most Women Get Wrong About Progressive Overload. It is the perfect next listen if you want to understand how to keep challenging your body as you get stronger without feeling like you need to start over with a completely new workout every week. If you want more from me, be sure to check out… Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
More from Embrace Your Real
If you have ever finished a workout drenched in sweat, muscles burning, feeling like you absolutely crushed it, and still wondered why your body is not changing the way you want it to, this episode is for you. There is this belief that more reps automatically means more results. More burning. More sweating. More pushing through. More "just keep going." And I get why that feels like it should work. A high-rep workout can feel intense in the moment, so of course your brain starts thinking, "This has to be doing something." But what if the thing you are building is not actually the thing you think you are building? In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about what high reps actually do, why that burn can be a little misleading, and what your muscles really need if your goal is to feel stronger, more defined, and more confident in your body. What's Discussed: Why high-rep workouts can feel so effective in the moment
Mama, when was the last time you ended the day and actually let yourself believe you did a good job? Maybe the house was still messy. Maybe dinner was whatever you could throw together. Maybe you lost your patience once or twice. Maybe the day looked nothing like the version you had in your head. But your kids were fed. They were loved. They were safe. And somehow, even with all of that being true, it can still feel hard to say, "I did enough today." If that feels familiar, this episode is for you. Somewhere along the way, the bar for being a "good mom" got set so high that no real human could reach it. And now so many moms are walking around feeling like they are failing when they are actually doing an incredible job. In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about three things that change when you stop trying to be a perfect mom. My hope is that this helps you loosen your grip on the version of motherhood that was never realistic and start seeing the ways you are already showing up. What's Discussed: Where the pressure to be a perfect mom starts to come from
Hey hey beautiful human! Some body image advice sounds really good until you are the one standing in front of the mirror trying to believe it. "Just love your body." "Say positive things to yourself." "Focus on the parts you like." And listen, I know most of that advice is meant to help. But when I was really struggling with how I felt in my body, some of it did not make me feel better. Some of it made me feel like I was failing at body confidence too. And that is such a frustrating place to be. In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about the body image advice that did not help me, why it felt so hard to actually use, and what started to make a difference when forcing myself into body love did not feel honest yet. My hope is that this episode gives you a more realistic place to start if body positivity feels too far away right now. What's Discussed: Why "just love your body" is not always helpful when you are struggling
Hey hey beautiful human! I have officially lost 40 pounds since having my baby. And yes, that number is exciting, but what feels even better is that I feel stronger than I have in years. My endurance is better. I am lifting consistently. I am training for a marathon. And when I think about where I started postpartum, it honestly feels wild. So if you have been wondering what changed, I get it. Did I overhaul everything? Did I follow some intense plan? Did I cut out foods? Did I start working out every single day? Did I finally find some secret that made the weight come off? Not exactly. In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I am sharing the very unsexy advice that helped me lose 40 pounds, feel stronger, and build a routine I actually believe I can keep. It is probably not the flashy answer most people want, but it is the one I keep coming back to because it works in real life. What's Discussed: Why big results do not always come from big overhauls
Hey hey beautiful human! The last few months of the year can make everything feel like it is moving faster. The holidays are coming. The calendar starts filling up. There are events, family plans, travel, work, errands, and a million little things that suddenly need your attention. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, it gets really easy to tell yourself, "I will get back to me in January." But I do not want you to lose the next three months just because life feels full. In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I am sharing three quotes to carry with you this month when motivation feels low, your schedule feels busy, or one imperfect decision makes you want to throw the whole thing away. These are the reminders I want you coming back to when showing up for yourself does not feel easy, exciting, or perfectly planned. What's Discussed: Why the last few months of the year can make consistency feel harder