November 12, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode of Fit Fuel and Busy, host Janine welcomes fitness enthusiast Hilary Roten to discuss strategies for staying committed to home workouts. They highlight the importance of consistency over motivation and share practical tips on building a cost-effective home gym using equipment like dumbbells, resistance bands, and a TRX machine. Hilary emphasizes the value of finding enjoyable exercise routines and suggests incremental approaches such as 'exercise snacks' for busy individuals. Listeners will gain insights into creating effective workout plans and hear recommendations on essential fitness equipment. Don't miss the extended promo for 15% off coaching packages using code 15PERCENT.
00:00 Welcome and Podcast Overview
00:29 Introducing Today's Guest: Hilary Roten
01:37 Staying Committed to Home Workouts
04:43 Creating a Home Workout Plan
12:48 Essential Home Gym Equipment
17:37 Quick Fire Questions and Wrap-Up
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:23):
Welcome back to Fit Fuel andBusy.
I'm your host, Janine, and I'mso glad that you're here.
If you're new.
Here's a quick reminder of ournew podcast Cadence.
We drop brand new episodes everyWednesday.
The first Wednesday of the monthis all about nutrition.
The second Wednesday is fitnessfocused.
The third is about mindset, andthe fourth Wednesday is our
(00:43):
unfiltered episode where we talkabout pretty much anything and
everything.
And since this is the secondWednesday of the month, we're
diving into fitness.
I've got a good friend who'sjoining me today for this
episode, someone who knows a lotabout juggling life, family, and
fitness, and I'm so excited thatshe's here.
And we're gonna talk about howto stay committed to working out
(01:05):
at home, even when motivationdips.
And we'll also be sharing someof our favorite at home workout
equipment that keeps usconsistent and strong.
So, Hillary, can you Hello.
Introduce yourself please.
Awesome.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I am Hillary Rotan.
I.
Am a mom of um, three at themoment.
(01:25):
I have a 18-year-oldstepdaughter, and then I have a
four and a 8-year-old.
I work full-time.
I teach some fitness classes.
Um, I also have a nutritioncoaching business and I have
just been into health andwellness and fitness probably
for the past 20 years.
So it is definitely something Ilove to talk about.
(01:46):
And if Hilary, can you shareyour Instagram because y'all,
she is one of the most pet momsthat I know and I follow her for
inspiration.
I've known her for a few yearsnow.
Um, so what's your Instagram?
Yeah, my Instagram is Hillaryrotten, R-O-T-E-N Fit, and I'm
(02:06):
not the best at it, but I reallytry and share kind of different
exercises and more importantly,and this is exactly what we're
gonna talk about, is justconsistency.
You do not have to be perfect.
You do not have to show up tothe gym six days a week, and
more importantly.
You are not going to bemotivated every single day, but
if you can move your body, ifyou can find the exercise that
(02:29):
works for you, and moreimportantly, the exercise
regimen that's gonna work foryour life, you are going to be
90% above and beyond mostpeople.
Absolutely.
I totally agree, and I lovethat.
So let's get into it, becausewhether you've got a full home
gym or just a set of dumbbellsin your living room, this
(02:50):
episode will help you make themost of it.
And so that's what we're here totalk about today.
So Hillary.
What made you start working outat home instead of always going
to the gym?
Yeah, good question.
So I was a CrossFitter for avery long time and went through
IVF to have both of my kids, andthat was really kind of a life
(03:11):
changing moment for me.
I obviously had to change a lotof what I.
Did, but it was also very timeconsuming.
Anyone who's ever gone throughIVF there's a lot of doctor's
appointments and blood draws andmedicine and it became to the
point to where I noticed betweenwork and life and everything
else, I just wasn't able to goto the gym.
(03:31):
As much as I could.
I still loved CrossFit.
I also enjoy teaching and takingfitness classes, like spin
classes and strength classes.
And so slowly but surely Istarted putting together my own
home gym and fast forward, youknow, 10 years, um, I've built a
pretty nice, uh, gym.
And it is, it's one of thosethings.
(03:53):
I actually used it this morning.
I probably.
80% of my workouts are happen ina gym structure, but there's
also 20 to 30% that I am ableto, there's nothing better than
being able to walk out yourgarage door and you have your
gym ready for you.
And really it gets rid of any ofthose excuses that we love to
(04:14):
come up with.
No, absolutely.
So I, um, am very similar.
To Hilary with, um, thebackground in CrossFit and going
to the gym.
And then about eight years agonow, I transitioned to solely
working from home because, um,at the time I had moved out to
the country and going to the gymwas just not an option.
(04:34):
It was too boring.
Yeah.
And so now I have.
All of my weights and mytreadmill in my garage, and I'm
like, you, I wake up and I walkout my garage door, um, and I
can get a nice workout in.
But some people say that havingthe equipment in their house,
it's really hard for them tofind the motivation to get down
(04:54):
there.
So how do you do that?
Like how do you create thatdiscipline to, you know, make
sure that you get your workoutin.
When it's so convenient right inyour home.
Oof.
You uh, mentioned my Instagram afew day a few minutes ago, and I
actually posted aboutmotivation, and I think I
ruffled some feathers, but I'llgo ahead and say it here, that I
(05:16):
don't really believe inmotivation.
I am not motivated to brush myteeth every morning.
I don't know about you.
Um, I am not motivated to eat myvegetables and my chicken often,
you know, but it's one of thosethings that it happens and at
this point in my life.
My friends, my family, myself.
My coworkers, everybody jokesthat Hillary's gonna be at the
(05:38):
gym.
Actually my husband will tellyou on my second date, I
actually told him that if heever makes me choose between him
and the gym, I will choose thegym.
And he says 12 years later,that's a very true statement.
So, I think it's just, I know.
Anytime.
I don't wanna do it.
I know that I'm going to feelbetter when I'm done, and not
(05:58):
every session has to be ahundred percent.
There are times where sessionsare 30 to 40%, but it's, it's
getting it done and it's goingthrough the movements.
And so, you know, you're notgoing to, to lift the heaviest
you always can.
That's not, that's just notpossible, but.
Uh, every single time that youmove and go to the gym, you're
(06:20):
just a little bit better thanyou were the day before.
And I, so I think that's kind ofmy motivation, if you will.
Yeah.
No, I love that.
And actually I had never heardsomebody say, well, I'm not
motivated to brush my teeth, butI still do it.
And that is so true.
It's if we actually take a stepback, there's a lot of things
that we do every single day thatwe're not necessarily motivated
(06:42):
to do it, but we do it becausewe know it is either
preventative care or it is justwhat we need to do.
And so why is working out anydifferent?
Right, exactly.
We know it makes us feel good.
Good.
I.
Sorry.
I tell my daughter all the time,I'm like, A adulthood is doing
things you don't wanna do 50% ofthe time.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
So for a lot of people, youknow, I'm lucky that I love
(07:04):
working out.
I love the way that it makes mefeel.
Mm-hmm.
Physically, mentally, for meit's that clarity moment.
I have friends who are like, Ihate the gym, but I come
anyways.
And so I think it goes back to,you know, I think sometimes.
In the social media world thatwe live in, we can get bogged
down on this is the best way towork out, or this is the most
(07:27):
efficient.
And at the end of the day, it'swhat you enjoy and it, it's what
is going to drive you to go intoyour garage or the gym and work
out.
You know?
So whatever that needs to lookout for, look like for you.
There is no right or wronganswer.
It's whatever, like, look insideyourself to me.
I please don't ask me to run.
(07:47):
Please, I'll do anything but notrun.
But then there are some peoplewho that is very, that's
cathartic for them, you know, soI think I, I try and tell my
clients and really anybody,there is no right or wrong way
to work out.
You just have to do itconsistently, and you have to
find something that you trulyenjoy.
Absolutely.
(08:08):
So tell me about, let's talkabout workouts for just a
second.
So, yeah, if somebody is goingto work out at home and, you
know, maybe they don't have acoach, how do they get started?
Like what?
Plan, do they follow, or whatkind of tips do you have for
those people who are like, okay,I am gonna start dedicating some
time.
(08:28):
Maybe they already have somedumbbells or a bench or
something like that.
Um, how do they get started?
That's a great question.
And, you know, technology canget a bad rap, but at the same
time, we live in.
The best time right now, thereare no excuses.
Um, I have seen programs be puttogether.
Let me back up.
When I say programs, that's kindof essentially a map for what
(08:51):
your goal is, you know, and so Ihave seen some really cool
prompts with just good old chat,GPT, and you can say, please, I,
this, this is the equipment thatI have, you know, bands,
dumbbells.
Write me a three or four.
I'd like to work out three orfour times a week.
This is the body.
Part that I would really like towork on, write me a program.
So you know, you do not have topay for a personal trainer.
(09:16):
You could use something likechat, GPT.
There are tons and tons of appsout there.
There are also YouTubes, you,I've seen, um, there's someone
named Carolyn Gervin.
I have a lot of clients whoprefer to work at.
Workout at home and they useher.
So it's kind of just finding,again, back to find something
that you enjoy.
But through the, I will say theworst thing you can do is follow
(09:40):
Instagram random stories.
You know, like what you'rereally looking for is
consistency.
You're looking for a week overweek progression.
You're making sure that you'rehitting equal body parts.
So it really is.
Well worth your time to pay foran app.
Use chat, GPT, follow some typeof YouTube program.
(10:01):
But there are tons of freeoptions out there.
Yeah, no, absolutely.
So if you're, so just to kind ofrecap there's lots of ways,
there's apps, there's YouTubechat, GPT, we did an episode on
that a while back.
But the biggest thing is findinga plan that suits, you know,
whether you're gonna go to thegym or work workout at home that
(10:22):
has the equipment that.
You know, where you have accessto the equipment that you need,
but you're gonna stick with itconsistently.
So let me ask you this.
If somebody has determined athree day a week workout plan,
mm-hmm.
How long would you say that theyshould stick to that?
Eight weeks.
12 weeks longer?
Yeah, I think I, eight to 12weeks would be a really good
goal.
Um, and ideally you're slowlybut surely getting stronger.
(10:44):
So for example, on week one ortwo, you may be using five to
eight pound dumbbells, andyou're really hitting somewhere
between the eight to 10 reprange.
Well, eventually what would weekthree and four look like is
you're either adding more repsor adding more weight.
And so.
You can do what we call in theworkout world, progressive
overload by multiple ways.
(11:05):
You can add reps, you can addweight, um, you can change the
order of things, you can addbands.
Do not ever discount a good justbody weight workout.
You know, you can get.
A crazy workout with absolutelyno equipment.
Another something that I usewith my clients is I call them
exercise snacks.
(11:26):
So I will get people who arelike, Hilary, I don't have 45
minutes to an hour a day toworkout.
And I'm like, awesome.
Can you give me 10 minutes?
Three times a day?
And they're like, oh, thatcounts.
And I'm like, well, of course itcounts.
You know, like if you set atimer and did 15 air squads.
Every minute on the minutethat's 150 air squats.
(11:48):
It only took you 10 minutes.
You know, so there's alwayssneaky little ways to get, you
don't have to make this hugehour, hour and a half
commitment.
It can be done in littleintervals as long as you're
progressively making it moredifficult for you.
Oh my gosh, I love that.
Exercise snacks.
Exercise snacks.
(12:08):
Yeah.
Why not?
We all love a snack, especiallyfor, you know, you and I are
both full-time working moms.
Yeah.
With, you know, some sidebusiness and, and I love that.
And, and those are.
The other, those are the womenthat we're working with also.
And you know, I was actuallyjust having a conversation with
one of my clients who isstruggling to get some steps in
(12:28):
and, you know, starting to getcolder in the Midwest here.
And we were just talking aboutdarker.
Yeah.
Dark earlier.
So getting that walking at theend of the day is hard.
And you know, that was somethingwe, I.
Suggested, I said, even if youjust get up from your desk, for
five minutes and even just dosome air squats or absolutely.
You know, some lung walkinglunges, just getting your body
(12:49):
up and moving, um, is good.
Or walk around the couch 15times.
Right.
Nobody's looking at you.
Nobody's judging.
Yeah.
Based in your office.
It's okay.
Nobody's gonna know, you know?
Um.
So you're watching that boringtraining video.
Just get up and walk.
Do it circles while you'relistening.
So, no, I love that though.
An exercise snack.
I might have to use that.
Yeah, so that's a great tip.
(13:10):
I love that.
Okay.
So let's talk about at homeequipment.
So tell me like what are yourthings that you're like, okay,
somebody doesn't have a ton ofmoney to invest in mm-hmm.
An at home gym.
Right.
Um, you said it took, you know,10 years or so to accumulate
your things.
I've honestly been working athome for eight years and like
you, you just kind of slowlyover time continue to accumulate
(13:31):
things.
But what would you say ifsomebody was starting out and
they say, okay, I am gonna.
Invest a little bit of moneyinto being able to work at a
home.
Gimme like the top three or fourthings that you say.
They should invest in.
Yeah, absolutely.
First off, always walk onFacebook.
Always watch on Facebookmarketplace you can find, I
cannot tell you how many peoplehave the best of intentions with
(13:53):
that treadmill.
And then it becomes a clotheshanger and within people are
like begging like, please comepick up this thousand dollar
treadmill.
So, you know.
You don't need to spend a lot ofmoney.
That's another thing.
I think another important thingis start with some of these
things I'm gonna tell you, andthen if in six months you're
like, oh yeah, I really enjoyworking from home, then you can
(14:16):
continue to add on.
Maybe you add a barbell and thenmaybe you add Olympic weight
lifting plates and all that kindof stuff.
But you do not need to do thatstraight outta the gate.
And actually, I would recommend.
Starting small and deciding ifyou enjoy it, so.
Mm-hmm.
Um, I am a big fan of dumbbells,you know, maybe five to 30
pounds have some type of idea.
(14:38):
There's also I don't like themas much because they are a
little clinky, but there areadjustable dumbbells.
Mm-hmm.
Um, so that's always a goodoption, but you know, again.
Keep your eye on marketplace.
I'm a big fan of resistancebands.
You can do a lot with resistancebands.
Um, you can have the ones thathave handles on them, no
handles.
(14:58):
You can get a set of those, Iwanna say on Amazon for$15.
Yep.
Um.
Then you kind of talked aboutlike a bench or a step.
I actually have a soft box thatkind of is universal.
I can use it for, I can changeit to 20 inches, 24 inches, or
even 30 inches.
And that be, can become kind oflike a step up.
(15:18):
Mm-hmm.
Uh, for jump up box.
But it also, you can do benchpress a lot of back exercises.
So those would be kind of theprobably three or four main
ones.
Another one of my favoritetools.
For a home gym would be a TRXmachine.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and along with that, you,again, you can find 500 videos
(15:39):
on YouTube on different ways touse a TRX machine.
And it's awesome.
It's portable.
You can put it in a bag and takeit anywhere.
And there is no shortage ofdifferent exercises you can do
at the TRX.
Yeah, totally.
I love those.
Um, oh, they're awesome.
I would say for me it'sdefinitely I have to have my
dumbbells in my bench, or likeyou said, a soft box.
(16:01):
In fact, I didn't even think of,I know exactly what kind of box
you're talking about, and youcould easily do bench press on
that.
Oh, for sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I love that.
And you're right, Facebookmarketplace.
Oh my gosh.
Actually I had to get a newtread milk'cause mine broke.
And the guy who delivered it, hegoes, now you're not gonna turn
this into a clothes hanger.
And I looked at him and I waslike, excuse me sir.
(16:23):
No.
But.
So many people do that.
Yeah.
And so find that another toolthat I use that I tell
everybody, whether you work fromhome or not, and this is gonna
go back to what you just said,you can get a walking pad that
can literally be slide slidunder your bed.
Mm-hmm.
You know, or I've even seen likefold up walking pads.
(16:46):
Those are gold.
I think it's so important tohave a step goal anywhere
between.
Seven to 10,000 depending onyou.
And let's be honest, the weatherdoesn't always cooperate.
It's cold.
You may have kids, you can'tleave the house.
That walking pad is absolutegold and takes up so much less
space than a traditionaltreadmill.
(17:07):
And you can, I mean, mine goesup to, I think 4.0 speed, so you
can really kind of start tohustle.
And when you're not using it,you can easily put it right
underneath your bed.
So that's one of my.
Has now become kind of a, a musthave.
Everyone at my work jokes thatI'm always like bouncing around
on my walking treadmill, but whynot?
You know, like I, I am all aboutgetting.
(17:30):
Uh, as much as you can, worksmarter, not harder.
And so oftentimes, like yousaid, if I'm in a meeting, I'm
getting my steps at the sametime.
Absolutely, and maybe a littleoff topic, but I have found for
myself, if I start to, you know,that afternoon slump at work,
right?
If you have a desk job,especially you start to just get
tired and then maybe you go andyou reach for more caffeine, but
(17:51):
it's.
Instead just get some steps inor get some movement in makes a
huge difference.
And all of a sudden, like, Ifeel re-energized, I'm ready to
go again.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
I love that.
Okay.
Well I think this has been sohelpful and great discussion.
So here's three quick questions.
Oh geez.
If you could only keep one pieceof equipment, what would it be?
(18:12):
Do all my dumbbells count?
If not, probably, if not,probably the 25 pound dumbbells.
Okay.
That would be, those are myshining, my shining stars
somewhere in the middle.
I think I, oh man.
I probably would have to goabout 20 or 25 pound dumbbells
too, or I do like my kettlebellsthough.
(18:35):
Oh, yes.
But I mean, they can be kind ofinterchangeable, but honestly, I
think you could do more withdumbbells than a kettlebell.
Well, and, and the kettlebell isgreat, you know, but again, and
this is, start with the basicsand then just know that you can
always expand.
Right.
Um, which is where I would putthe kettlebell, you know?
Yes.
Like a, a, a, a, nice to have.
Maybe that would be a nice tohave.
(18:55):
Yes, absolutely.
All right.
What is your favorite musclegroup to train at home?
Back.
I love pull-ups.
I'm probably one of the onlyhumans on the face of the earth
who I love pull-ups, I love pulldowns, um, I love rows, all that
kind of good stuff.
So I would say my back and bicepday is.
(19:15):
Is the day you won't ever takeaway from me your favorite?
Yeah.
I recently have really enjoyedleg Day, which is somewhat
unusual for me.
Okay.
Mainly ham, hamstrings, andglutes.
Um, because I've really beenworking on building those out,
but I've really started to lovethem, which is good, like love.
Yeah.
So it's been fun.
Okay.
Well, and it's, it's always niceto walk away just drenched in
(19:38):
sweat.
Yes.
And Alte is going to do that.
100%.
Absolutely.
If you're pushing yourself.
Yes, it'll absolutely.
Okay.
And then the last one, leastfavorite exercise, but you still
do it anyway, probably you justsaid your favorite.
It's one of my squats anddeadlifts.
I will do them.
(19:59):
I will always do them the olderI get.
The less heavy I go, I do itmore for functionality.
Mm-hmm.
Um, but you know, I do thinkit's so important.
We need to be able to simplylift things up off the ground.
And it is anytime you're doing adeadlift that is so good for
your entire posterior chain,your glutes, your hammies some
(20:21):
of those muscles that we oftenas women.
We're usually very quaddominant, but not quite as
hamstring dominant.
Mm-hmm.
And so I think if we could, ifeverybody could add in some dead
lifts, again, you don't have tobe pulling 200 pounds off the
floor, but, you know, can you,can you hit dead lifts once a
week.
And it's not my favorite, but Ialways do it because I know how
(20:43):
good it is for us.
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, I would, I would say it's alove hate relationship, but
definitely more hate isBulgarian split squats the
worst.
Worst, but they're so good.
So good.
But I hate that.
So good building that booty.
(21:04):
Yes.
Yes.
Well, Hillary, that was such afun conversation.
Um, thank you so much forjoining me.
On today's fit Fuel and Busyepisode.
And guys, just remember that thekey is consistency in showing
up, uh, whether you're at thegym or in your living room.
Every workout counts, likeHillary said, even getting in
those.
Exercise snacks will help you.
(21:27):
And before you go, don't forget,we've extended our current promo
until November 30th.
So you get 15% off all of ourcoaching packages by using the
promo code 15%.
So that's no space between thefive and the p.
So it's one five P-E-R-C-E-N-Tspelled out.
It's the perfect time to investin your goals before the new
(21:48):
year sneaks up on you.
And as always, thank you forlistening.
If you love this episode, pleaseshare it with a friend.
Tag us on social media, makesure you subscribe.
And also go follow Hillary onher Instagram account.
She always is posting awesomecontent about, health and
fitness and also just busy lifeas being a mom and full-time
(22:08):
job.
And so she's a great one tofollow and get some, you know,
inspiration from there.
And Hillary, thanks so much foryour time.
It was so fun.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah.
All right, well, we'll see y'allnext week.
Thank you.
Get to listen in everybody.
That's right.
See ya.
Welcome back to Fit Fuel andBusy.
I'm your host, Janine, and I'mso glad that you're here.
If you're new.
Here's a quick reminder of ournew podcast Cadence.
We drop brand new episodes everyWednesday.
The first Wednesday of the monthis all about nutrition.
The second Wednesday is fitnessfocused.
The third is about mindset, andthe fourth Wednesday is our
(00:43):
unfiltered episode where we talkabout pretty much anything and
everything.
And since this is the secondWednesday of the month, we're
diving into fitness.
I've got a good friend who'sjoining me today for this
episode, someone who knows a lotabout juggling life, family, and
fitness, and I'm so excited thatshe's here.
And we're gonna talk about howto stay committed to working out
(01:05):
at home, even when motivationdips.
And we'll also be sharing someof our favorite at home workout
equipment that keeps usconsistent and strong.
So, Hillary, can you Hello.
Introduce yourself please.
Awesome.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I am Hillary Rotan.
I.
Am a mom of um, three at themoment.
(01:25):
I have a 18-year-oldstepdaughter, and then I have a
four and a 8-year-old.
I work full-time.
I teach some fitness classes.
Um, I also have a nutritioncoaching business and I have
just been into health andwellness and fitness probably
for the past 20 years.
So it is definitely something Ilove to talk about.
(01:46):
And if Hilary, can you shareyour Instagram because y'all,
she is one of the most pet momsthat I know and I follow her for
inspiration.
I've known her for a few yearsnow.
Um, so what's your Instagram?
Yeah, my Instagram is Hillaryrotten, R-O-T-E-N Fit, and I'm
(02:06):
not the best at it, but I reallytry and share kind of different
exercises and more importantly,and this is exactly what we're
gonna talk about, is justconsistency.
You do not have to be perfect.
You do not have to show up tothe gym six days a week, and
more importantly.
You are not going to bemotivated every single day, but
if you can move your body, ifyou can find the exercise that
(02:29):
works for you, and moreimportantly, the exercise
regimen that's gonna work foryour life, you are going to be
90% above and beyond mostpeople.
Absolutely.
I totally agree, and I lovethat.
So let's get into it, becausewhether you've got a full home
gym or just a set of dumbbellsin your living room, this
(02:50):
episode will help you make themost of it.
And so that's what we're here totalk about today.
So Hillary.
What made you start working outat home instead of always going
to the gym?
Yeah, good question.
So I was a CrossFitter for avery long time and went through
IVF to have both of my kids, andthat was really kind of a life
(03:11):
changing moment for me.
I obviously had to change a lotof what I.
Did, but it was also very timeconsuming.
Anyone who's ever gone throughIVF there's a lot of doctor's
appointments and blood draws andmedicine and it became to the
point to where I noticed betweenwork and life and everything
else, I just wasn't able to goto the gym.
(03:31):
As much as I could.
I still loved CrossFit.
I also enjoy teaching and takingfitness classes, like spin
classes and strength classes.
And so slowly but surely Istarted putting together my own
home gym and fast forward, youknow, 10 years, um, I've built a
pretty nice, uh, gym.
And it is, it's one of thosethings.
(03:53):
I actually used it this morning.
I probably.
80% of my workouts are happen ina gym structure, but there's
also 20 to 30% that I am ableto, there's nothing better than
being able to walk out yourgarage door and you have your
gym ready for you.
And really it gets rid of any ofthose excuses that we love to
(04:14):
come up with.
No, absolutely.
So I, um, am very similar.
To Hilary with, um, thebackground in CrossFit and going
to the gym.
And then about eight years agonow, I transitioned to solely
working from home because, um,at the time I had moved out to
the country and going to the gymwas just not an option.
(04:34):
It was too boring.
Yeah.
And so now I have.
All of my weights and mytreadmill in my garage, and I'm
like, you, I wake up and I walkout my garage door, um, and I
can get a nice workout in.
But some people say that havingthe equipment in their house,
it's really hard for them tofind the motivation to get down
(04:54):
there.
So how do you do that?
Like how do you create thatdiscipline to, you know, make
sure that you get your workoutin.
When it's so convenient right inyour home.
Oof.
You uh, mentioned my Instagram afew day a few minutes ago, and I
actually posted aboutmotivation, and I think I
ruffled some feathers, but I'llgo ahead and say it here, that I
(05:16):
don't really believe inmotivation.
I am not motivated to brush myteeth every morning.
I don't know about you.
Um, I am not motivated to eat myvegetables and my chicken often,
you know, but it's one of thosethings that it happens and at
this point in my life.
My friends, my family, myself.
My coworkers, everybody jokesthat Hillary's gonna be at the
(05:38):
gym.
Actually my husband will tellyou on my second date, I
actually told him that if heever makes me choose between him
and the gym, I will choose thegym.
And he says 12 years later,that's a very true statement.
So, I think it's just, I know.
Anytime.
I don't wanna do it.
I know that I'm going to feelbetter when I'm done, and not
(05:58):
every session has to be ahundred percent.
There are times where sessionsare 30 to 40%, but it's, it's
getting it done and it's goingthrough the movements.
And so, you know, you're notgoing to, to lift the heaviest
you always can.
That's not, that's just notpossible, but.
Uh, every single time that youmove and go to the gym, you're
(06:20):
just a little bit better thanyou were the day before.
And I, so I think that's kind ofmy motivation, if you will.
Yeah.
No, I love that.
And actually I had never heardsomebody say, well, I'm not
motivated to brush my teeth, butI still do it.
And that is so true.
It's if we actually take a stepback, there's a lot of things
that we do every single day thatwe're not necessarily motivated
(06:42):
to do it, but we do it becausewe know it is either
preventative care or it is justwhat we need to do.
And so why is working out anydifferent?
Right, exactly.
We know it makes us feel good.
Good.
I.
Sorry.
I tell my daughter all the time,I'm like, A adulthood is doing
things you don't wanna do 50% ofthe time.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
So for a lot of people, youknow, I'm lucky that I love
(07:04):
working out.
I love the way that it makes mefeel.
Mm-hmm.
Physically, mentally, for meit's that clarity moment.
I have friends who are like, Ihate the gym, but I come
anyways.
And so I think it goes back to,you know, I think sometimes.
In the social media world thatwe live in, we can get bogged
down on this is the best way towork out, or this is the most
(07:27):
efficient.
And at the end of the day, it'swhat you enjoy and it, it's what
is going to drive you to go intoyour garage or the gym and work
out.
You know?
So whatever that needs to lookout for, look like for you.
There is no right or wronganswer.
It's whatever, like, look insideyourself to me.
I please don't ask me to run.
(07:47):
Please, I'll do anything but notrun.
But then there are some peoplewho that is very, that's
cathartic for them, you know, soI think I, I try and tell my
clients and really anybody,there is no right or wrong way
to work out.
You just have to do itconsistently, and you have to
find something that you trulyenjoy.
Absolutely.
(08:08):
So tell me about, let's talkabout workouts for just a
second.
So, yeah, if somebody is goingto work out at home and, you
know, maybe they don't have acoach, how do they get started?
Like what?
Plan, do they follow, or whatkind of tips do you have for
those people who are like, okay,I am gonna start dedicating some
time.
(08:28):
Maybe they already have somedumbbells or a bench or
something like that.
Um, how do they get started?
That's a great question.
And, you know, technology canget a bad rap, but at the same
time, we live in.
The best time right now, thereare no excuses.
Um, I have seen programs be puttogether.
Let me back up.
When I say programs, that's kindof essentially a map for what
(08:51):
your goal is, you know, and so Ihave seen some really cool
prompts with just good old chat,GPT, and you can say, please, I,
this, this is the equipment thatI have, you know, bands,
dumbbells.
Write me a three or four.
I'd like to work out three orfour times a week.
This is the body.
Part that I would really like towork on, write me a program.
So you know, you do not have topay for a personal trainer.
(09:16):
You could use something likechat, GPT.
There are tons and tons of appsout there.
There are also YouTubes, you,I've seen, um, there's someone
named Carolyn Gervin.
I have a lot of clients whoprefer to work at.
Workout at home and they useher.
So it's kind of just finding,again, back to find something
that you enjoy.
But through the, I will say theworst thing you can do is follow
(09:40):
Instagram random stories.
You know, like what you'rereally looking for is
consistency.
You're looking for a week overweek progression.
You're making sure that you'rehitting equal body parts.
So it really is.
Well worth your time to pay foran app.
Use chat, GPT, follow some typeof YouTube program.
(10:01):
But there are tons of freeoptions out there.
Yeah, no, absolutely.
So if you're, so just to kind ofrecap there's lots of ways,
there's apps, there's YouTubechat, GPT, we did an episode on
that a while back.
But the biggest thing is findinga plan that suits, you know,
whether you're gonna go to thegym or work workout at home that
(10:22):
has the equipment that.
You know, where you have accessto the equipment that you need,
but you're gonna stick with itconsistently.
So let me ask you this.
If somebody has determined athree day a week workout plan,
mm-hmm.
How long would you say that theyshould stick to that?
Eight weeks.
12 weeks longer?
Yeah, I think I, eight to 12weeks would be a really good
goal.
Um, and ideally you're slowlybut surely getting stronger.
(10:44):
So for example, on week one ortwo, you may be using five to
eight pound dumbbells, andyou're really hitting somewhere
between the eight to 10 reprange.
Well, eventually what would weekthree and four look like is
you're either adding more repsor adding more weight.
And so.
You can do what we call in theworkout world, progressive
overload by multiple ways.
(11:05):
You can add reps, you can addweight, um, you can change the
order of things, you can addbands.
Do not ever discount a good justbody weight workout.
You know, you can get.
A crazy workout with absolutelyno equipment.
Another something that I usewith my clients is I call them
exercise snacks.
(11:26):
So I will get people who arelike, Hilary, I don't have 45
minutes to an hour a day toworkout.
And I'm like, awesome.
Can you give me 10 minutes?
Three times a day?
And they're like, oh, thatcounts.
And I'm like, well, of course itcounts.
You know, like if you set atimer and did 15 air squads.
Every minute on the minutethat's 150 air squats.
(11:48):
It only took you 10 minutes.
You know, so there's alwayssneaky little ways to get, you
don't have to make this hugehour, hour and a half
commitment.
It can be done in littleintervals as long as you're
progressively making it moredifficult for you.
Oh my gosh, I love that.
Exercise snacks.
Exercise snacks.
(12:08):
Yeah.
Why not?
We all love a snack, especiallyfor, you know, you and I are
both full-time working moms.
Yeah.
With, you know, some sidebusiness and, and I love that.
And, and those are.
The other, those are the womenthat we're working with also.
And you know, I was actuallyjust having a conversation with
one of my clients who isstruggling to get some steps in
(12:28):
and, you know, starting to getcolder in the Midwest here.
And we were just talking aboutdarker.
Yeah.
Dark earlier.
So getting that walking at theend of the day is hard.
And you know, that was somethingwe, I.
Suggested, I said, even if youjust get up from your desk, for
five minutes and even just dosome air squats or absolutely.
You know, some lung walkinglunges, just getting your body
(12:49):
up and moving, um, is good.
Or walk around the couch 15times.
Right.
Nobody's looking at you.
Nobody's judging.
Yeah.
Based in your office.
It's okay.
Nobody's gonna know, you know?
Um.
So you're watching that boringtraining video.
Just get up and walk.
Do it circles while you'relistening.
So, no, I love that though.
An exercise snack.
I might have to use that.
Yeah, so that's a great tip.
(13:10):
I love that.
Okay.
So let's talk about at homeequipment.
So tell me like what are yourthings that you're like, okay,
somebody doesn't have a ton ofmoney to invest in mm-hmm.
An at home gym.
Right.
Um, you said it took, you know,10 years or so to accumulate
your things.
I've honestly been working athome for eight years and like
you, you just kind of slowlyover time continue to accumulate
(13:31):
things.
But what would you say ifsomebody was starting out and
they say, okay, I am gonna.
Invest a little bit of moneyinto being able to work at a
home.
Gimme like the top three or fourthings that you say.
They should invest in.
Yeah, absolutely.
First off, always walk onFacebook.
Always watch on Facebookmarketplace you can find, I
cannot tell you how many peoplehave the best of intentions with
(13:53):
that treadmill.
And then it becomes a clotheshanger and within people are
like begging like, please comepick up this thousand dollar
treadmill.
So, you know.
You don't need to spend a lot ofmoney.
That's another thing.
I think another important thingis start with some of these
things I'm gonna tell you, andthen if in six months you're
like, oh yeah, I really enjoyworking from home, then you can
(14:16):
continue to add on.
Maybe you add a barbell and thenmaybe you add Olympic weight
lifting plates and all that kindof stuff.
But you do not need to do thatstraight outta the gate.
And actually, I would recommend.
Starting small and deciding ifyou enjoy it, so.
Mm-hmm.
Um, I am a big fan of dumbbells,you know, maybe five to 30
pounds have some type of idea.
(14:38):
There's also I don't like themas much because they are a
little clinky, but there areadjustable dumbbells.
Mm-hmm.
Um, so that's always a goodoption, but you know, again.
Keep your eye on marketplace.
I'm a big fan of resistancebands.
You can do a lot with resistancebands.
Um, you can have the ones thathave handles on them, no
handles.
(14:58):
You can get a set of those, Iwanna say on Amazon for$15.
Yep.
Um.
Then you kind of talked aboutlike a bench or a step.
I actually have a soft box thatkind of is universal.
I can use it for, I can changeit to 20 inches, 24 inches, or
even 30 inches.
And that be, can become kind oflike a step up.
(15:18):
Mm-hmm.
Uh, for jump up box.
But it also, you can do benchpress a lot of back exercises.
So those would be kind of theprobably three or four main
ones.
Another one of my favoritetools.
For a home gym would be a TRXmachine.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and along with that, you,again, you can find 500 videos
(15:39):
on YouTube on different ways touse a TRX machine.
And it's awesome.
It's portable.
You can put it in a bag and takeit anywhere.
And there is no shortage ofdifferent exercises you can do
at the TRX.
Yeah, totally.
I love those.
Um, oh, they're awesome.
I would say for me it'sdefinitely I have to have my
dumbbells in my bench, or likeyou said, a soft box.
(16:01):
In fact, I didn't even think of,I know exactly what kind of box
you're talking about, and youcould easily do bench press on
that.
Oh, for sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I love that.
And you're right, Facebookmarketplace.
Oh my gosh.
Actually I had to get a newtread milk'cause mine broke.
And the guy who delivered it, hegoes, now you're not gonna turn
this into a clothes hanger.
And I looked at him and I waslike, excuse me sir.
(16:23):
No.
But.
So many people do that.
Yeah.
And so find that another toolthat I use that I tell
everybody, whether you work fromhome or not, and this is gonna
go back to what you just said,you can get a walking pad that
can literally be slide slidunder your bed.
Mm-hmm.
You know, or I've even seen likefold up walking pads.
(16:46):
Those are gold.
I think it's so important tohave a step goal anywhere
between.
Seven to 10,000 depending onyou.
And let's be honest, the weatherdoesn't always cooperate.
It's cold.
You may have kids, you can'tleave the house.
That walking pad is absolutegold and takes up so much less
space than a traditionaltreadmill.
(17:07):
And you can, I mean, mine goesup to, I think 4.0 speed, so you
can really kind of start tohustle.
And when you're not using it,you can easily put it right
underneath your bed.
So that's one of my.
Has now become kind of a, a musthave.
Everyone at my work jokes thatI'm always like bouncing around
on my walking treadmill, but whynot?
You know, like I, I am all aboutgetting.
(17:30):
Uh, as much as you can, worksmarter, not harder.
And so oftentimes, like yousaid, if I'm in a meeting, I'm
getting my steps at the sametime.
Absolutely, and maybe a littleoff topic, but I have found for
myself, if I start to, you know,that afternoon slump at work,
right?
If you have a desk job,especially you start to just get
tired and then maybe you go andyou reach for more caffeine, but
(17:51):
it's.
Instead just get some steps inor get some movement in makes a
huge difference.
And all of a sudden, like, Ifeel re-energized, I'm ready to
go again.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
I love that.
Okay.
Well I think this has been sohelpful and great discussion.
So here's three quick questions.
Oh geez.
If you could only keep one pieceof equipment, what would it be?
(18:12):
Do all my dumbbells count?
If not, probably, if not,probably the 25 pound dumbbells.
Okay.
That would be, those are myshining, my shining stars
somewhere in the middle.
I think I, oh man.
I probably would have to goabout 20 or 25 pound dumbbells
too, or I do like my kettlebellsthough.
(18:35):
Oh, yes.
But I mean, they can be kind ofinterchangeable, but honestly, I
think you could do more withdumbbells than a kettlebell.
Well, and, and the kettlebell isgreat, you know, but again, and
this is, start with the basicsand then just know that you can
always expand.
Right.
Um, which is where I would putthe kettlebell, you know?
Yes.
Like a, a, a, a, nice to have.
Maybe that would be a nice tohave.
(18:55):
Yes, absolutely.
All right.
What is your favorite musclegroup to train at home?
Back.
I love pull-ups.
I'm probably one of the onlyhumans on the face of the earth
who I love pull-ups, I love pulldowns, um, I love rows, all that
kind of good stuff.
So I would say my back and bicepday is.
(19:15):
Is the day you won't ever takeaway from me your favorite?
Yeah.
I recently have really enjoyedleg Day, which is somewhat
unusual for me.
Okay.
Mainly ham, hamstrings, andglutes.
Um, because I've really beenworking on building those out,
but I've really started to lovethem, which is good, like love.
Yeah.
So it's been fun.
Okay.
Well, and it's, it's always niceto walk away just drenched in
(19:38):
sweat.
Yes.
And Alte is going to do that.
100%.
Absolutely.
If you're pushing yourself.
Yes, it'll absolutely.
Okay.
And then the last one, leastfavorite exercise, but you still
do it anyway, probably you justsaid your favorite.
It's one of my squats anddeadlifts.
I will do them.
(19:59):
I will always do them the olderI get.
The less heavy I go, I do itmore for functionality.
Mm-hmm.
Um, but you know, I do thinkit's so important.
We need to be able to simplylift things up off the ground.
And it is anytime you're doing adeadlift that is so good for
your entire posterior chain,your glutes, your hammies some
(20:21):
of those muscles that we oftenas women.
We're usually very quaddominant, but not quite as
hamstring dominant.
Mm-hmm.
And so I think if we could, ifeverybody could add in some dead
lifts, again, you don't have tobe pulling 200 pounds off the
floor, but, you know, can you,can you hit dead lifts once a
week.
And it's not my favorite, but Ialways do it because I know how
(20:43):
good it is for us.
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, I would, I would say it's alove hate relationship, but
definitely more hate isBulgarian split squats the
worst.
Worst, but they're so good.
So good.
But I hate that.
So good building that booty.
(21:04):
Yes.
Yes.
Well, Hillary, that was such afun conversation.
Um, thank you so much forjoining me.
On today's fit Fuel and Busyepisode.
And guys, just remember that thekey is consistency in showing
up, uh, whether you're at thegym or in your living room.
Every workout counts, likeHillary said, even getting in
those.
Exercise snacks will help you.
(21:27):
And before you go, don't forget,we've extended our current promo
until November 30th.
So you get 15% off all of ourcoaching packages by using the
promo code 15%.
So that's no space between thefive and the p.
So it's one five P-E-R-C-E-N-Tspelled out.
It's the perfect time to investin your goals before the new
(21:48):
year sneaks up on you.
And as always, thank you forlistening.
If you love this episode, pleaseshare it with a friend.
Tag us on social media, makesure you subscribe.
And also go follow Hillary onher Instagram account.
She always is posting awesomecontent about, health and
fitness and also just busy lifeas being a mom and full-time
(22:08):
job.
And so she's a great one tofollow and get some, you know,
inspiration from there.
And Hillary, thanks so much foryour time.
It was so fun.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah.
All right, well, we'll see y'allnext week.
Thank you.
Get to listen in everybody.
That's right.
See ya.
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