Fit is Freedom with Kelly Howard

Beginner’s Mind is the Perfect Place Today

Back after a longer-than-originally-planned hiatus, Kelly gives an update on what she’s been up to since November and what some of her personal challenges for the new year have been!
Diving into the concept of “beginner’s mind” and how it can be the start something new, especially when we have no preconceived ideas or expectations. Whether it’s a new fitness routine, a new work routine, a sport or even picking up a musical instrument, allowing yourself the freedom of “beginner’s mind” is a perfect place to start.
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Taking a Break

Big news, everybody: as Fit is Freedom reaches its 1 year anniversary, Kelly will be putting the show on hold for a little while. She feels it’s time to take a step back, reevaluate her motivations, and figure out what’s next. Think of this as a season finale rather than an ending. In any case, Kelly will be back at the beginning of October with new content and a new format.
In this episode, Kelly explains why she’s going on hiatus, emphasizes why we should never forget to enjoy our training and work from day to day, and discusses how you can keep up to date in the meantime.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
How Joe Jacobi’s (see episode 19) own recent break from his newsletter helped Kelly come to terms with her own hiatus.
Why long-term goals—important as they are—can get in the way of the simple pleasures that really keeps us going from day to day.
If you still haven’t signed up for the Fit, Fun & Freedom Formula, do so at the Fit Is Freedom homepage or Facebook page.
What else Kelly has been occupying herself with lately, and what you can expect in the coming months.
Quotes:
“Sometimes we forget that it’s the process of getting there that really matters.”
“Being engaged with what you like to do and what you’re doing is a lot of the secret sauce.”
“We need to be thinking about the things that matter today to get us to the things that matter later.”
Links:
Sign up to Kelly’s mailing list at the Fit Is Freedom homepage (https://fitisfreedom.com/)!
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Is It Too Late to Get In Shape?

One of Kelly’s deeper fears is that someday she’ll be too old and physically infirm to participate in the activities she’d like to be a part of. The date this episode goes up—August 5—is actually Kelly’s birthday! So you can understand why that particular anxiety might be on her mind. But don’t fret: while you’ll obviously need to prepare more and go slowly as you’re older, there’s really no upper limit to when you can get in shape.
In this episode, Kelly discusses three people who didn’t get in shape until their later years and explains how you can do the same without hurting yourself. In addition, Kelly’s 10-week fitness experience—the Fit, Fun & Freedom Formula—is live today! Submit your application through the VIP section on Kelly’s homepage.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
The inspiring stories of Mimi Secor, James Owen and Daphne Belt and what you can learn from them.
Kelly’s tip for getting into the swing of later-life fitness: keep things slow and consistent.
Keep in mind that if you’re exercising in middle age or your golden years, you’re at greater risk of injury.
Variety is not only the spice of life, it will keep your fitness routine exciting as well!
Quotes:
“Start slow, whatever you’re doing.”
“Let your body catch up with your lack of movement.”
“Put age out of your mind. It’s not a reality.”
Links:
Younger Next Year - https://www.youngernextyear.com/
Fit is Freedom #021: Sleep is a Superpower - https://fitisfreedom.com/sleep-is-a-superpower/
Fit is Freedom #012: Changing Your Lifestyle is Medicine, with Michele Drielick - https://fitisfreedom.com/episode-012-changing-your-lifestyle-is-medicine/
Sign up to Kelly’s mailing list at the Fit Is Freedom homepage (https://fitisfreedom.com/)!
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Layered Accountability Makes Everything Easier

Kelly was recently taken aback when a fitness-minded friend of hers said that he considered being part of an accountability group to be “cheating.” In truth, when you mix layered accountability into your routine, it’s not only easier to get what you want out of it but it feels more purposeful as well. Layered accountability will keep you on track and sticking to your goal when you want to make big, difficult changes, rather than alter a smaller habit.
In this episode, Kelly explains the people you definitely want—and probably don’t want—in your support system to keep you accountable even when your will wavers. As well, the Fit Is Freedom Formula fitness experience is going live and accepting applications on the date this podcast goes live (July 29). To guarantee your spot, scroll down to the bottom of the Fit is Freedom home page to the “Together We’re Unstoppable” heading.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
Defining what layered accountability is and what kinds of accountability it’s made up of.
What it’s like working under an online coach, especially in a group setting.
Why the person you love the most is also the worst person to have as an accountability partner.
How friendly competition can actually push the group to hold each other more accountable.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Kelly’s Fit is Freedom Formula is launching on July 29! Save your spot on the website!
Quotes:
“Whatever it is that you do, and the person that you are and the way that you’re being, you’re the one who’s actually gonna drive the change that you wanna make.”
“Any time I want to raise the bar in my life, I find a coach.”
“Instead of that one-on-one, think about the idea of having a community.”
Links:
Sign up to Kelly’s mailing list at the Fit Is Freedom homepage (https://fitisfreedom.com/)!
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Consistency: What It Is and How It Varies from Committment

Kelly is on vacation, and while she is getting in your standard rest and relaxation (plus podcast recording), she’s also making a point of staying active through kayaking. That’s because she knows consistency is key to staying on top of your fitness goals. Even when life gets in the way of our fitness, it’s good to step back and examine what’s preventing us from sticking to our routine every day.
In this episode, Kelly discusses how you can make your fitness regimen easier to stick to day in and day out, and explains how you can jump back from a lengthy break.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
How taking a bunch of little steps toward your goal is both more manageable and less daunting and taking a few big ones.
Making repetition the key to honing your confidence.
The easy solution for missing a day of training, and what you can do to get yourself back on track after missing a week or more.
Looking into the real reason why we might miss out on exercise.
How you can get on the mailing list for Kelly’s upcoming August program!
Quotes:
“Better consistent than not at all.”
“The small steps are gonna get you to the big stuff.”
“What is this next week gonna bring to you that you can do differently, that’s gonna get you where you want to go.”
Links:
Sign up to Kelly’s mailing list at the Fit Is Freedom homepage (https://fitisfreedom.com/)!
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Community & Connections: Uncover a Hidden Gem

Kelly has traditionally gone solo with her fitness, training and working out on her own, but after recently speaking to a friend and going through own cooperative fitness experience, she learned how much better working out can be if you’re surrounded by a supportive community. Imagine having a whole team of voices urging you to press on when the lone voice inside your head is normally telling you to give up!
In this episode, Kelly explains what group workouts can accomplish that solo exercise may not be able to and suggests ways you can strengthen ties to your own fitness community.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
Considering how rarely people, especially successful women, actually ask for help, and why that can be a problem.
How being part of a community pushed Kelly to try something she might never have tried otherwise.
The extra step Kelly takes to keep in regular touch with her friends.
NEXT WEEK: Shining a light on consistent activity.
Quotes:
“Creating that friendship and creating that community got us to do something that we would have never, ever done if we’d been on our own.”
“If you see someone else do something, it makes you realize that it is doable.”
“I think it’s time for us to take a little bit more of a step in being out there and making sure we’re connecting with our friends.”
Links:
Fit Is Freedom homepage - https://fitisfreedom.com/
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Are You Short on Time or On Commitment?

While Kelly’s normally a cheerleader for herself and everybody listening, she’s starting on something of a low note this week. She wants you to consider a time—or even times—you set a goal for yourself but ultimately didn’t follow through on it. Why didn’t you? Did you take on too much at once? Or maybe you didn’t truly want to follow through on this goal. Both honesty and discipline are required to reach the goalposts we set for ourselves.
In this episode, Kelly argues for removing “try” from your vocabulary. Kelly’s also starting a new group in the near future. If you’d like to know more, email her at kelly@fitisfreedom.com or leave a message in the comments!
The Finer Details of This Episode:
How Kelly failed to commit to her own “no sugar in coffee” promise.
The difference between “trying” and truly committing to a goal.
Start with a smaller goal and plot out how your life will be different in 90 days if you commit to it.
Why it’s important for your family members to be accommodating for your goal buy-in.
NEXT WEEK: Kelly takes a look at the next C, “community.”
Quotes:
“If you find yourself saying that you’re gonna try something, then know that you’re really not planning on being committed to it.”
“To move the needle forward, you really do need that one hundred percent commitment.”
“When you’re a hundred percent committed, you’ll find the time, you’ll find the way, you’ll find the mindset, you’ll find what you need to make your step the next day.”
Links:
Fit Is Freedom homepage - https://fitisfreedom.com/
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

The Three Biggest Fitness Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Most of the women Kelly works with are successful, active, and very, VERY busy, so it’s easy for them to become overwhelmed in short order. It’s not necessarily that a new diet or fitness routine is too much, more that pressure we put on ourselves when we commit to something can push us towards overload. With this in mind, Kelly recently challenged her friend to take one of the myriad tasks she commits to and just dial it back a bit.
In this episode, Kelly breaks down the three big mistakes people starting off on a new fitness routine and/or diet tend to make and explains what you can do to course-correct.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
Doing too much all at once from the get-go and burning yourself out before you can really get used to your routine.
Not knowing what your ‘why’ is—that is to say, what actually motivates you deep down rather than what you think motivates you.
Not having micro-goals to act as milestones that keep you going and make you feel accomplished from day to day, week to week, etc.
Quotes:
“Your possibility of injury is higher if you haven’t taken care of yourself before.”
“We are so busy, busy, busy doing ‘shoulds’ and ‘dos’ and ‘need tos’ that sometimes you just need to stop and just say ‘no, I don’t think I can help with that’.”
“Be softer on yourself. Be caring and gentle, okay?”
Links:
Fill out the Contact Us form on the site so we can send you an invitation to our Fit, Free and Fabulous Fitness Storm, a complimentary month of weekly coaching and Q&As.
Fit Is Freedom homepage - https://fitisfreedom.com/
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Consistency is Everything

Kelly’s hosting a Q&A episode for this week, and in fishing for questions she received a lot about consistency—working out consistently, eating well consistently, generally just sticking to a repeatable routine that keeps you active and healthy day in and day out, rather than something we only do sporadically. It’s one thing to throw yourself into a new workout or diet, but another thing entirely to keep sticking to them after the novelty wears off.
In this episode, Kelly emphasizes the importance of keeping your routines simple, suggests ways a friend can hold you accountable, and explains the dangers of bargaining with yourself. PLUS, Kelly dives deeper into what you can get out of Fit Is Freedom’s Fit, Free and Fabulous Fitness Storm!
The Finer Details of This Episode:
Why making things as simple as possible is key to keeping things consistent.
Figure out what’s derailing you from meeting your regular goals and whether you’re working toward or running away from something.
Don’t be ashamed of slipping behind your fitness agenda—make a point of scheduling time for these potential slip-ups!
Why negotiating with yourself can be the riskiest part of staying on track.
Ask a friend to hold you accountable when you start to slip away from your health plans.
How your identity is the very bottom “pillar” of consistency.
Quotes:
“Is what you say you want what you really want?”
“A lot of us could do better by just forgiving ourselves a little bit.”
“We’re not going to nail it a hundred per cent of the time all the time.”
“It’s kind of like moving toward gain and moving away from pain.”
“Be a detective for yourself.”
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!

Play Bigger, Feel Better with Hayley Carr

Hayley Carr is a high performance success coach with 19—19!—karate world titles under her belt who doesn’t like playing small. She works with individual and group clients to not just improve but transform them, turning potential into action. Hayley is also a close friend of Kelly’s—even if they’ve never met in person—so the following conversation is less an interview and more a casual yet intimate chat between two people who know each other very well.
In this episode, Hayley makes her case for why gradual, incremental changes are better in the long term, helps you identify what you have immediate control over in your life, and delves into how she recently shook up her own life.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
Hayley explains how tiny shifts in your behavior and training can lead to bigger changes.
Why going slower is key to improving your technique and building confidence.
Looking for the little things that are within our control so you can start turning your plan into a reality.
Discussing the big move Hayley recently made and why she “dared to fail.”
What the move taught her about plans and why you shouldn’t be afraid to let them change.
The three key questions Hayley wants Kelly’s listeners to ask themselves.
Quotes:
“If we’re always focused on where we’re going, we miss opportunities for shortcuts that are right in front of us.”
“What’s the one tiny thing that is available to me right now that I can do that’s within my power that’s going to make a difference to this end picture?”
“Slowing down effectively led them to speeding up.”
“I believe the quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions that you ask yourself.”
“Everything you want is so much closer than you can imagine.”
Links:
Hayley’s homepage - https://hayleycarr.tv/
Hayley on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hayleycarr.tv/
Hayley on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hayleycarr.tv
Hayley on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hayleycarrtv
Go to the page for Episode 43 on the Fit is Freedom site to download a free Feel Better, Play Bigger coaching guide!
Also fill out the Contact Us form on the site so we can send you an invitation to our upcoming Fit, Free and Fabulous Fitness Storm, a complimentary month of weekly coaching and Q&As.
Fit Is Freedom homepage - https://fitisfreedom.com/
Podigy - https://podigy.co/
Subscribe & Review in iTunes:
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d love for you to do so and not miss an episode. You’ll be the first to know when bonus episodes are added and if you’re not subscribed, you could miss out :). Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Also, I would be truly grateful if you left me a review on iTunes. It makes my day to read them. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you love and what you want to hear more of. Thank you!