We’re in the final stretch of the 45 Day Challenge and as we look ahead to final assessments, we want to celebrate the F45 Community that showed up and showed out using WHOOP. By leveraging this wearable fitness tracker, Challengers were able to fine-tune their workouts with personalized insights into their individual performance and recovery. They tracked metrics like sleep quality, daily strain, lifestyle habits and recovery enabling them to optimize their training and maximize results.

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Personalized fitness data can be a game changer for achieving fitness goals. With the advent of wearable fitness trackers and mobile apps, it is easier than ever to monitor your progress towards your fitness goals. By tracking your daily activity levels, sleep, nutrition and lifestyle habits, you can get a more accurate picture of your overall health and fitness.

The longer you track one or more metrics, the easier it is to identify positive and negative trends that can turn into actionable and meaningful lifestyle changes that will help you reach your goals. For example, if you’re consistently falling short of your protein goal, you can make a plan to add a daily protein supplement to your routine (if this is you, check out this F45 recipe with our supplement partners at Performance Inspired).

Everyone’s body is different and understanding what your body loves for recovery compared to what leaves it under-recovered or reaching for the snooze button can help you achieve your goals. By effectively tracking your daily habits, or things that break your habits, you can adjust your lifestyle to boost your energy and ability to perform. 

Another example precious to so many: caffeine. Maybe your body performs better with caffeine, but your data patterns show only if you have less than two cups a day and stop before 2pm. For some people, working out later in the day works better for them than for others, or being social daily helps their recovery more than others. Even things like reading before bed and for how long impacts people differently. Taking the time to understand how these impact metrics like your Heart Rate Variability, Resting Heart Rate, your sleeping patterns and recovery is key to reaching goals.

Consistency is also key to progress and tracking along your journey will give you a place to check in and celebrate the small successes along the way. This will not only keep you informed on your personal habits but keep you motivated and tuned in with why you’re taking this Challenge on in the first place! 

So where exactly is this magical “data”?

Basically what you’re looking for here is feedback. Any results, notes or facts collected together for reference can be your dataset. You can use our F45 tools like a LionHeart monitor to track your workout performance, the F45 Training App’s Daily Tracking tool to identify weekly patterns or our latest favorite – the WHOOP Monthly Performance Assessment.

By using WHOOP on a consistent basis for a full month, you’ll be delivered a personalized report including your sleep performance (what you need v. what you got), recovery (how ready your body is to take on strain), and strain (built exertion). With this analysis, WHOOP will help you identify patterns in your behaviors and performance that can better inform your daily routine and get you to those goals!

Take some time this week to reflect back on the first half of your Challenge. What areas did you improve (adequate sleep or effective recovery practices?) and where can you take advantage of those improvements by pushing a little harder, lifting a little heavier or adding an additional class? Write down 3 ways you’ve improved and how you’re going to make the most of that progress as you hit the final weeks of this 45 Day Challenge. Share with us on Instagram by tagging @f45_training and @whoop. 

If you want to experience the WHOOP Monthly Performance Assessment but haven’t yet picked up a band, there’s still time! Visit f45training.com/f45-challenge/whoop/ to learn more and order your band to finish out the 45 Day Challenge strong. 

To get tracking with F45’s tools, visit the F45 Training mobile App and hit Track. From there you can check out Daily Tracking or tap LionHeart to learn more and reach out to your studio to register your LionHeart monitor.

The post From Data to Dreams: How personalized fitness data helps you crush goals appeared first on F45 Training.

Recovery is unique to the individual’s experience, although there are a few top ways to allow your body to rest and regain strength. 

Using tools like the fitness wearable WHOOP can be a key factor in helping you fine tune your mind-body connection as well as a reminder to the days that you really need that extra rest. Whether you are someone who is training for a marathon and has a training program planned or just getting into your fitness journey, recovery days will be necessary. 

The fastest way to a good recovery is always going to be substantial sleep. But how we achieve good sleep is dependent on the choices we make during the day. Calming the nervous system through different mental and physical methods throughout your day and before your time to rest is key. The WHOOP Journal, the F45 Training App daily tracking or even a good old fashioned paper journal allows you to log these types of activities daily so you can track consistent patterns that highlight the rituals that factor into your quality of rest. For example, noting how much caffeine you are consuming and at what times, or measuring levels of stress to tangibly see where stress is coming from and better understand how to manage it. Another great way to gain better sleep is consistency in the time you go to bed and wake up. Creating a routine around your sleep schedule can help your body connect to your circadian rhythm and trigger sleepiness or rest when it’s needed.

Active recovery days are also vital when it comes to putting the body under physical stress. Track workout studies have shown that active rest, i.e., slow jogging or walking during the rest interval between repeats, helps clear lactate faster than passive rest (where you simply stop). This allows athletes to continue exercising at greater intensity and for longer periods than if they stopped. The same concept applies to your days off from regular training. Active recovery helps promote muscle recovery, prevents soreness and injury. The goal is to increase blood flow to the muscles without exerting energy that creates more fatigue. Increased blood flow helps reduce inflammation and release lactic acid. Popular methods of active recovery include dynamic mobility exercises, hydrotherapy, massage therapy and general light physical activity like walking or swimming. These activities are also less intense and in many ways can have a positive impact on your mental health. Choosing an active recovery method that brings you joy or peace is an underrated way to recover the mind and the body at the same time. 

For example, if you feel crushed from a training day and have sore legs, doing dynamic stretches through the areas that feel stiff and going for a 30 min walk listening to your favorite song or podcast can help increase your recovery faster. Ultimately listening to your body and finding the routine that works best for you is the one that is most effective. 

What recovery activity will you try this week? Show us and tag @f45_training on Instagram.  

Still not sure where to start? Check out Mondrian 30 or Calypso Kings in the F45 Training App.

If you haven’t yet picked up a WHOOP band, there’s still time! Visit f45training.com/f45-challenge/whoop/ to learn more and order your band to finish out the 45 Day Challenge strong.

The post Understanding Recovery appeared first on F45 Training.

I love being active in both my work and spare time which requires me to be aware of how I can keep my body sustainably functioning. Even as a wellness coach, having a fitness tracker like WHOOP helps remind me when I need to take some extra time for my body to recover.

Here is a snapshot of some of my most active days and the way I used my personalized data from WHOOP to optimize my fitness and recovery:

Catching Waves

• Recovery: 80%
• Activity strain: 17.5 – Surfing

I went surfing twice this day when there was good surf swell. On days when I surf a lot, I need to stretch my upper body. On this day I took about 15 min dedicated to those muscles. I also make sure I get extra rest so my body has time to relax.

Getting Strong

• Recovery: 76%
• Activity Strain: 12.6 – F45 Training & Movement

This strain number came from two workouts that were focused on mobility and strength over intensity. This day was the only day of the week that I didn’t surf during the swell and needed some extra time to recover. I did hydrotherapy (hot/cold temp exposure) and got a massage.

Working Through & Responding to Fatigue 

• Recovery: 63%
• Activity Strain: 15.1 – Coaching & F45 Training 

This was a day that I got a workout on my own as well as coached a couple of classes. My body was having a harder time recovering due to some travel. Days like these are always reminders for me to go to bed earlier and make sure I am eating foods that my body needs to regulate itself.

Learn more about how you build strain with WHOOP in your workouts and daily activities with this article from our partners at WHOOP: How Does WHOOP Strain Work?

Be sure to log your workouts with the brand new F45 Training activity in the WHOOP App to track patterns and performance through the 45 Day Challenge. If you haven’t yet picked up a WHOOP band, there’s still time! Visit f45training.com/f45-challenge/whoop/ to learn more and order your band to finish out the 45 Day Challenge strong.

The post How Cristina Chan Balances Strain & Recovery appeared first on F45 Training.

Welcome to Week 1 Challengers! We know you’re already crushing it and we’re excited to be on this journey with you. It’s no secret that setting specific goals and tracking your habits can help you reach your health and fitness goals. When we take a closer look at our habits, we’re paying more attention to the behaviors that are either helping or hindering us from reaching our goals. We can then use this information to make small realistic changes that will add up over time resulting in positive sustainable change. Let’s dive deeper into how you can use tracking as a tool during this 45 Day Challenge.

Getting started in the F45 Training App:

Setting unrealistic goals and expecting to stick to extreme/restrictive habits perpetuates the “all or nothing” mindset and leads to discouragement. We want to break away from this cycle and focus on feasible positive change that you’ll actually want to stick with. This is where setting S.M.A.R.T. goals in the F45 Training App at the beginning of the 45 Day Challenge can help.

At Check-in #1 you’ll set your S.M.A.R.T. goal(s). This goal should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-Bound

Don’t worry, the F45 Training App will walk you through the S.M.A.R.T. goal process! 

Once you’ve set your goal(s) you can track your Challenge journey via the F45 Training App,  giving you that extra accountability to build consistent habits to reach your goals. In the app, you can track things like water intake, sleep, whether or not you had a macro-balanced meal, and if you attended your workouts. 

You can also log and share your results for fitness assessments like Playoffs or Benchmark to know how you’re performing and improving over time. We recommend leveraging the notes section to track any variables such as performance readiness (injury? fatigue?), recovery or sleep (maybe you did an ice bath or breathwork the day prior? Did that have a positive effect on your performance?). This will enable you to look back on past weeks or months and begin to identify patterns that may be contributing to your recovery and performance. 

Tracking habits in the WHOOP Journal:

In addition to F45 Training App tracking, you have access to highly individualized insights from WHOOP! According to WHOOP, the Journal is a “customizable feature which allows you to log specific choices, behaviors, and other variables that may impact performance on a daily basis”. The Journal offers a wide range of over 100 behaviors (across several categories) to choose from so you can easily track and see their effect on your physiological metrics. WHOOP reports include some of these categories:

• Recovery (acupuncture, ice baths, massage, and stretching)
• Sleep (blue-light blocking glasses, sound machine, sharing a bed, etc)
• Nutrition (choices such as paleo, plant-based, or a late meal)
• Supplements (melatonin, turmeric, and more)
• Medications (including dosage and frequency)
• Lifestyle (things like working from home, alcohol consumption, sex)
• Mental Health (anxiety, therapy, journaling)
• Reproductive Health (menstruating pregnant, trying to conceive)

As you fill out your daily journal, WHOOP stores the information and gives you an in-depth analysis of how the behaviors you record correlate to changes in your recovery. Learn more about tracking with WHOOP here.

Between the F45 Training App and WHOOP Journal, you’ve got science-backed tools to help you build sustainable habits & reach your goals, and we love to see it. Remember, F45 is more than a gym, it’s your team, and when it comes to success, there’s strength in numbers. Your F45 coach and studio community is there to support you along the way!

Have you ordered your meals for the remainder of Challenge? Check your area here for suppliers here.

For nutrition and wellness support, you can always check out F45 Articles for tips on how to improve your nutrition and relationship with food. 

The post Using Tracking As a Tool To Reach Your Challenge Goals appeared first on F45 Training.

Are you looking for a different kind of workout—one that far surpasses any you have ever experienced and one that guarantees results? We bet your answer is yes! And you’re not alone. Mindbody and ClassPass recently gathered data illustrating today’s fitness trends and compiled them into a report. In this 2023 State of the Wellness Industry, we learn a lot about what today’s gym members want—in a gym membership and in life. And this is great news for F45 gym members. 

We will highlight the benefits of the F45 community, but first we want to explore some of the important findings regarding why people want to actually go to a gym rather than just work out at home. Reasons include the following:

• 81% say they push themselves harder in class 
• 74% prefer an instructor’s direction 
• 67% say that in-person classes makes it easier to adhere to a routine
• 43% say they want to be part of a fitness community

The survey also found that 64% of the respondents said that it was more important to spend money on wellness than on other leisure expenses. 

In addition, 40% say that they want the emotional and psychological benefits of working out. Indeed, the survey also found that wellness encompasses more than simply being in good physical shape; it includes mental and spiritual health as well. 

So let’s get back to why this is excellent news for F45 members or for anyone looking to join an F45 gym. 

F45 offers all these benefits and more!

Founded in Australia, F45 training combines “elite, proven benefits of combining high-intensity interval training, circuit training, and functional training . . . into one 45-minute functional training class.” 

With 5,000 curated workouts and 45 unique classes, you will get innovative, high-intensity group workouts that are fast, fun, and results-driven. In these 45-minute classes, members can burn up to 750 calories! That’s amazing!

Each F45 workout incorporates cardio, resistance-based strength training, or a hybrid of both, all geared toward your everyday life. And with the nearly countless combinations of workouts, you will not find yourself doing the same boring workout day after day.

F45’s functional workouts are geared toward everyday movements and are created to give you heart-pumping fun. The goal of F45 workouts is to help you become the healthiest, strongest, and fittest version of yourself possible. 

At F45, we offer different workout classes so you can choose which will help you achieve your goals and which will help you get that balanced workout.

Our full-body resistance training helps increase your muscle mass.

Our cardio workouts use plyometrics—a type of exercise that uses both the speed and force of various movements to build muscle power—to get your heart pumping.

Our hybrid workouts are awesome strength training workouts that include cardio, resistance, agility, and core movements to increase your endurance and your metabolism.  

And our recovery sessions are the perfect way to rebuild and restore your body. 

In addition, all of F45’s coaches are certified personal trainers, so you know that you’re in capable hands when you’re in the gym. 

But F45 is about more than the amazing workout you will get in the gym. It’s also about the friends you will make, the support you will gain, the confidence you will build, and the fitness goals you will achieve. 

The F45 community will cheer you on and pick you up when you think you’ve given all you can. And while the F45 workout may seem daunting or maybe even impossible at first, know that all are welcome and no one is ever turned away because of your starting fitness level. F45 coaches will work with you at your current level but will push you to achieve successes you never thought possible.

Many of the respondents surveyed for the state of the wellness industry report said that their motivation in working out was to “live a long and healthy life.” As an F45 member, you will be well on your way to physical and emotional health. And that’s a benefit you can always be excited about!

So what are you waiting for? Find a gym near you and start your fitness journey today!

The post F45: The Full-Body Wellness You Deserve appeared first on F45 Training.

Finding the time and motivation to work out during holidays can be tough. The change in routine and environment can make it difficult to stick to small activities you may normally make time for in your daily life. Whilst training around the holiday period may look a little different to normal, it doesn’t have to require huge fitness losses. Here are some tips to help you with holiday habits to stay on top of your health journey and overall mindset. 

Set realistic goals
When everyone is kicking back and relaxing, it may not be sustainable to keep up the rigorous diet and training regime. Be aware of this and set your expectations for what your progress will look like during this period. For example, you may be away from the gym and not be able to attend any classes, so it’s likely your strength goals may be put on pause for a moment. It is important to recognize this and factor your fitness goals into this for a realistic idea of what you can achieve. You may need to push out your strength goals by a few weeks to cater to the holiday period.

Switch up your exercise regime
Whilst you spend time out of your daily schedule, make use of the different activities you have available. Whether you are going for a kayak along the lake or a walk along a new trail, these exciting and new adventures are all active activities that will make your body feel good and keep active. You may even discover a new hobby!

Flexible nutrition
The holidays bring gatherings, parties and meals where you don’t have control over your food. In these circumstances, we recommend you take a flexible and mindful eating approach. You can learn more about practicing food freedom around the holidays with this recent blog article. 

Travel workouts
If you are still craving a workout while traveling but are lost as to what you should do – don’t forget you have an endless library of workouts at your fingertips on the F45 Challenge App. There are both weighted and non-weighted options available to suit whatever equipment you may have on hand! This can be accessed through the ‘TRAIN’ tab in the challenge app. 

Remember, working out should always be an enjoyable experience, enjoying the process is what will drive long-term commitment and results. It is okay to take a break from your strict schedule sometimes and relax with loved ones. These tips should help you keep on track and ready to continue smashing your goals!

The post Training + The Holidays: Tips, Mindset, and Travel appeared first on F45 Training.

Spending time with family, especially those you haven’t seen in awhile, can be one of the best things about the holidays, right? Right?! 

If you’re like one of the other million people in the world who stress about seeing family over the holidays, you are not alone. Even when we’re close… sometimes especially when we’re close, family can have a way of saying just the thing to make you feel bad about your body or your food choices. Have you experienced any of these shaming comments? 

“Oh, looks like you put on some weight this year!” 

“I thought you had been working out…?” 

“Honey, maybe you should skip the pie.” 

Or perhaps you are more lean and fit than last year, and then you have to deal with comments like: 

“You’re probably not going to eat any pie, are you?” 

“Wow, have you been starving yourself?”

“You’re working out too much, be careful!” 

While we can’t control what others say (sadly, I know), we can prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the comments that might be hurled in our direction. Follow these tips to create a shield from indirect or direct shaming. 

Their comment has nothing to do with you.

The common denominator about these comments is that they rarely have anything to do with you. People who shame others are often the most insecure people in the room. They are generally unhappy, lack confidence and make themselves feel better by putting others down. If it’s one of those compliment-insults like, “You look like you’re working out too much,” know that this is just jealousy cloaked in flattery and that person is trying to make themselves feel better by criticizing anything they can about your success. Before you let these comments affect you, take a moment to remember that their shade is only a reflection of them. 

Have empathy. 

This might be a tall order as you’re fuming inside and trying to remind yourself that their comment has nothing to do with you, but if you can muster it, take a mindful moment to have some empathy and compassion for the pain the other person is experiencing. They must be really insecure and unhappy about their own body, health, and fitness if they have to put down somebody else, especially someone that they care for! Maybe you can even give them a genuine compliment to help them feel better about themselves. Remember that this is the season of kindness! 

Review your successes. 

Instead of going into the end of the year focusing on what you haven’t accomplished, focus on what you have. Get your journal, and start to list all of the things that you have done this year, related to health and fitness or not! Review that list and read each “win” aloud before going to any social event so you realize and remember that you are an incredible, capable, and strong person. Think of this list as your superhero armor! 

Plan ahead…

For everything. Be ready mentally to tackle the comments, and plan in advance how you want to approach your food and fitness. Instead of just “seeing how it goes,” plan the foods that you are going to enjoy (guilt-free please!), allow yourself to enjoy your meal while also not stuffing yourself to the brim, and remember that working out is great but it is not a punishment for having a piece of pie. 

Stay strong and remember that no matter what anyone says, you are doing the best that you can do, and their comments have nothing to do with your effort!

The post Responding to body & food comments during the holidays appeared first on F45 Training.

It’s that time of year again! The holidays can bring joy, excitement, and family fun time. BUT, for some it can also bring stress and anxiety surrounding food choices.

Have you ever felt the pressure to “save up” calories the week prior to a holiday meal, only to then overindulge and eat past fullness and comfort? Or maybe you’ve been so consumed with thoughts or stress about what you’re going to put on your plate that you’re not able to be present with your family and friends. 

If you find yourself in this boat, WE GOT YOU! Try to incorporate these four strategies to help with food guilt and anxious thoughts about your holiday meal. 

Eat like you normally would leading up to your holiday meal

It can be tempting to skip meals leading up to the meal you’re looking forward to in attempts to save up calories. But, this will more likely than not leave you feeling out of control and possibly binging once you get to that holiday meal. Instead, eat how you normally would leading up to the meal/day and aim for balance at most meals (protein fat, carb & fiber). You can read more about balancing your plate here.

Eat & enjoy the foods you love

Give yourself the permission and freedom to eat your favorite holiday foods. Avoiding these will almost always result in overeating them either. Remember that there are no “good/bad foods” (you can learn more here). Eat, enjoy, and move on, it’s one meal on one day.

Practice mindfulness

One way to bring some mindfulness to your holiday meal is assessing your hunger before, during, and after your meal. Once you’ve finished your meal, take 10-15 minutes and remove yourself from the dining area. If you’re still hungry, go get more! If you’re not, move on. Remember that seconds will always be there, they aren’t going anywhere. Here’s some tips on mindful eating.

Remember that the holidays are about more than food

Listen, we ALL look forward to that yummy holiday food, it just hits different (hello sweet potato pie!). And it’s normal to be excited about food that we don’t usually consume more than 1-2 times per year. But remember that’s not the only part of the holiday. Try to bring some focus to spending time with your loved ones and reflecting on what you’ve been grateful for this past year. When we’re in the moment and present with our family and friends, the less space we have to let food guilt and thoughts creep in.

Learning to embrace food freedom and let go of food rules is a journey and won’t happen overnight. Be sure to show yourself patience and grace as you navigate through and contact a Registered Dietitian or your medical provider for additional support if needed.

The F45 Challenge team wishes you an amazing holiday season filled with friends, family, and yummy foods, cheers!

The post Practicing food freedom and prioritizing your health this holiday season appeared first on F45 Training.

I can probably bet you’re familiar with food labels in one way or another, maybe without even realizing it! We’ve all seen or heard about foods, like salad, labeled as “good” or “clean” and other foods, like pizza, labeled as “bad”. Unfortunately, diet talk is so normalized and is part of daily conversation. For example, “I was so bad this weekend. I need to make up for it today.” You may have heard this from your parents growing up, friends, family, TV, or social media.

Here’s where the issue lies: 

When we eat something we’ve labeled as “bad”, this often leads to guilt or shame. When we eat something “good”, we feel great about ourselves… until we eat something “bad” again. The reality is food has NO moral value– it’s just food. Some foods are more nutrient dense, and some aren’t. In fact, labeling food as “bad” or “off limits” actually increases the desire for that food and you end up putting that food on a pedestal. This may lead to:

• increased or obsessive thoughts about that food
• increased consumption of that food when you restrict or cut it out. When you’re finally around that food, like at a special event or a birthday party, you might eat as much as you possibly can because you don’t know when the next time you’ll allow yourself to eat it.

Are we saying to only focus on less nutrient dense foods? Of course not. But we are saying it’s okay and normal to incorporate your favorite foods without guilt and without derailing your goals. 

Here’s where to start:

One of the BEST things you can do to improve your nutrition and relationship with food is to remove these food labels and practice allowing all foods. At first you might enjoy the foods you’ve had off limits more often. However, eventually, you’re going to notice you don’t want those fun foods as often anymore because you know you can have them at any time. They aren’t “off limits”, so you don’t feel like you have to eat them in fear that you’ll never see them again. 

Bring it into practice:

If you struggle with labeling food as “good” or “bad”, I recommend writing out a list of foods with two columns (one for good, one for bad), and then try reframing those thoughts. For example: “This burger isn’t bad, and I’m not bad for eating it. Food is good. It has no moral value. Where can I add balance to this meal to keep me satisfied?”

Removing food labels won’t happen overnight, but it is life changing on the other side for your mental and physical health. Normalizing foods, taking them off a pedestal, and finding balance will improve your nutrition AND relationship with food. Start small, show yourself some grace, and be on the lookout for more tips!

The post Removing “Good/Bad” Food Labels appeared first on F45 Training.