Blog

The winter months can take a toll on your mood, energy levels, and overall well-being. This seasonal slump, often called the "winter blues," affects many people, particularly in colder climates. The good news? Regular exercise is a powerful tool for combating these feelings and improving your physical and mental health.
​
Let’s explore how fitness can help you beat the winter blues and keep your spirits high.

What Are the Winter Blues?The "winter blues" refer to a temporary dip in mood and energy that coincides with shorter days and colder weather. For some, this can develop into a more serious condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which affects about 5% of adults in the U.S. annually (American Psychiatric Association). Even if you don’t experience SAD, the lack of sunlight, colder temperatures, and post-holiday fatigue can make you feel sluggish and unmotivated.

How Fitness Helps Combat the Winter Blues

1. Boosts Mood and Reduces Stress Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural mood elevators. Regular physical activity also reduces levels of stress hormones like cortisol, helping you feel more relaxed and happy.
   • A study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that individuals who exercised regularly were 26% less likely to develop depression than those who didn’t.
   • Activities like yoga and Pilates are particularly effective at combining movement with mindfulness, offering mental health benefits.
2. Improves Energy Levels While winter fatigue can leave you feeling drained, exercise actually boosts energy by improving circulation and oxygen flow to your muscles and brain. Just 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a few times a week can leave you feeling more energized.
3. Promotes Better Sleep Regular workouts help regulate your sleep patterns, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up refreshed. Improved sleep is directly linked to better mental health and resilience.
4. Increases Exposure to Natural Light Outdoor activities like walking, jogging, or snowshoeing can help you soak up sunlight, which boosts vitamin D production and regulates your circadian rhythm. Studies suggest that even 20 minutes of sunlight can significantly improve your mood.

Best Winter Workouts to Boost Your Mood

1. Indoor Workouts
   • Strength Training: Build muscle and stay warm indoors with resistance exercises.
   • HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): Short but intense sessions improve cardiovascular health and mood.
   • Yoga or Pilates: Reduce stress and improve flexibility with mindful movement.
2. Outdoor Activities
   • Walking or Hiking: Enjoy the crisp air while benefiting from natural light exposure.
   • Snow Sports: Activities like skiing or ice skating combine fun with fitness.
   • Jogging: Cold-weather runs are invigorating and provide a sense of accomplishment.

Staying Motivated During the Winter

• Set Small, Achievable Goals: Focus on consistency rather than intensity.
• Find a Workout Buddy: Exercising with a friend adds accountability and fun.
• Try New Activities: Experimenting with different workouts keeps things exciting.

Leverage the Ascend Fitness AppNeed guidance to stay active this winter? The Ascend Fitness app offers a year's worth of expertly designed exercise programs, including options for quick indoor workouts and mood-boosting routines. With Ascend, you can stay consistent, even on the coldest days. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast, the app provides structure and support to help you reach your goals.

ConclusionThe winter blues don’t have to take control of your life. By incorporating regular exercise into your routine, you can improve your mood, boost your energy, and stay physically healthy all season long. With a little movement and motivation, winter can become an opportunity to focus on your well-being.

Would you like to customize a workout plan or explore our 15 Minutes of Fire program for efficient, effective workouts? Visit the Ascend Fitness app today to get started!

In the fast-paced world we live in, maintaining optimal health can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. At KM Fitness, we’re always on the lookout for convenient and effective ways to support your health journey. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Coromega, a game-changer in the world of Omega-3 supplements. In this blog post, we'll dive into the many benefits of Omega-3s, identify signs that you might be deficient, and explain why Coromega is my favorite way to get these essential nutrients on the go.

The Power of Omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that play a crucial role in your overall health. Here are some of the incredible benefits they offer:

1. Heart Health: Omega-3s are known to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering triglyceride levels, reducing blood pressure, and preventing the formation of arterial plaque.

2. Brain Function: These fatty acids are vital for brain health, improving cognitive function, memory, and mood. They can also help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

3. Inflammation Reduction: Omega-3s have potent anti-inflammatory properties that can help alleviate symptoms of chronic inflammation, which is linked to various health conditions like arthritis and asthma.

4. Eye Health: Omega-3s contribute to maintaining good vision by supporting the health of the retina and reducing the risk of macular degeneration.

5. Skin Health: These fatty acids keep your skin healthy and hydrated, reducing the signs of aging and preventing conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

Signs You May Be Deficient in Omega-3s

Despite their importance, many people don’t get enough Omega-3s in their diet. Here are some signs you might be deficient:

- Dry Skin: Omega-3s help keep your skin hydrated. If you’re experiencing dry, flaky skin, it might be a sign of deficiency.
- Fatigue: Low levels of Omega-3s can contribute to feeling tired and lacking energy.
- Mood Swings: A deficiency in Omega-3s has been linked to mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
- Joint Pain: Omega-3s help reduce inflammation, so a deficiency could lead to increased joint pain or stiffness.
- Poor Concentration: Difficulty focusing or frequent brain fog can be a sign that your brain is not getting enough Omega-3s.

Why Coromega is the Perfect Solution

For many, the challenge of getting enough Omega-3s lies in the form of supplementation. Pills can be hard to swallow and fish oil capsules often leave an unpleasant aftertaste. This is where Coromega shines.

- Convenient Packets: Coromega comes in easy-to-carry packets, making it simple to get your Omega-3s no matter where you are. Whether you’re at work, at the gym, or traveling, just tear open a packet and enjoy.
- Delicious Taste: Unlike traditional fish oil capsules, Coromega has a pleasant, citrusy flavor that makes taking your Omega-3s a treat, not a chore.
- No Pills to Swallow: If you struggle to take pills, Coromega is the perfect solution. The liquid form is easy to consume and absorbs quickly in your body.
- High-Quality Omega-3s: Coromega uses high-quality, purified fish oil to ensure you’re getting the best possible Omega-3s without the fishy aftertaste.

 My Personal Experience with Coromega

As someone who finds it challenging to swallow pills, discovering Coromega was a game-changer for me. I love the convenience of being able to carry these packets with me wherever I go. Whether I’m heading to the gym or on a weekend getaway, I can easily take my Omega-3s without any hassle. Plus, the taste is fantastic, making it something I actually look forward to each day.

 Conclusion

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for maintaining optimal health, but many of us struggle to get enough through our diet alone. Coromega offers a delicious, convenient, and pill-free solution to ensure you’re getting the Omega-3s your body needs. If you’re looking for an easy and enjoyable way to boost your health, I highly recommend giving Coromega a try. Your heart, brain, skin, and overall well-being will thank you!

---

For more health tips and product recommendations, be sure to check out other posts on the Kayli Montoya Fitness blog. Here’s to a healthier, happier you!

​

Fitness and nutrition are absolute staples to being your happiest, healthiest self. The problem is, some people take it too far. Coach Kayli and I have seen people lose a significant amount of weight and find themselves obsessing over their food, weight, fitness, clothes, etc. This really isn’t that uncommon. We usually see this when a person has struggled with emotional eating or binge eating. They lose body fat, but they never treated the root cause of the emotional eating. As with health, you have to treat the root cause or the issue doesn’t go away. Usually emotional eating is caused by unhealed trauma. When a person loses weight but doesn’t work on healing old trauma, they simply replace the old unhealthy coping mechanism with a new unhealthy coping mechanism. We see them go from binging food to not eating, obsessively weighing themselves, or overexercising. These habits can be just as dangerous for people as overeating.  The key to being successful is obtaining and maintaining a healthy relationship with food. Here are some signs that you may have an unhealthy relationship with food:

• Obsessively weighing
• You’re completely inflexible about food - Choosing to not eat if there isn’t a “healthy” option present
• You think about food all the time
• You prefer to eat in private
• Food guilt distracts you from conversations
• You feel the need to work off food you eat 
• Yesterday’s lunch makes you hate yourself
• You feel ashamed when you eat something you’re not supposed to eat
• You punish yourself for eating something that deviates from the rules
• You deny yourself food you really crave
• You worry about having food to eat in social settings
• You cut out entire food groups, like carbs or fat
• You eat foods even though they make you feel bad
• You’re always either on a diet or off a diet, no middle ground
• You’re embarrassed about the amount of food you ate
• You binge on food unconsciously

If you recognize any of these traits, it may be time for you to reach out to a mental health professional to help you work through any issues you may have with food. Disordered eating is a legitimate issue that you should address. You shouldn’t live your life chained by food or fitness. Food and fitness should be things you enjoy and tools to help you live healthy.

​

Like it or not, a number of changes happen to our bodies as we age. They are a natural part of living life and include a combination of age-related structural, biochemical and physiological changes. Some of these changes are inevitable, however how we live our lives, including how much activity and exercise we do, has a huge influence on the speed and extent of these changes. 

We all know exercise is good for us and has lots of benefits to our health. Perhaps less well known are the benefits of strength training (resistance training), which are fortunately now becoming more widely researched and promoted. 
Perhaps even less well known are the benefits of strength training specifically for older adults. Strength training has multiple health and lifestyle benefits for older adults. So much so that in our opinion, it should be a mandatory prescription from your doctor. Let’s explore why…

What happens to our bodies when we age?

• We lose muscle mass & muscle strength (sarcopenia)
• We lose bone density (osteopenia)
• The heart and blood vessels thicken making it harder to pump around a sufficient amount of oxygen and glucose to our cells 
• Our kidneys don’t function as well to carefully concentrate our urine and keep the levels of electrolytes and chemicals in our blood at an optimum level 
• Our ability to metabolize glucose effectively reduces and we start to carry more body fat
• We lose brain mass and the speedy connections which send messages between cells start to slow down

All of the changes above can have huge consequences. Some are inevitable with aging, others have environmental and genetic risk factors which also play a role. The changes in our muscles and bones cause slowing down, aches and pains, making performing our normal daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs and household tasks more difficult. 
It also puts you at an increased risk of falling over, and of serious injury such as fractures if you do. Ultimately, older adults with low muscle mass and bone density are at a higher risk of a poor quality of life, loss of independence and even an earlier death.

The levels of muscle mass and strength loss varies in different people. Generally we are at our peak maximum physical capacity between 20-30 years old. Our muscle mass then starts to gradually decline until we are about 50 years old, after which the decline starts to happen more rapidly.

Studies have shown that strength loss can occur as fast as 15% per decade after our 50s. Though, the level of loss and rate of decline varies in different people because of a variety of factors including lifestyle, genetics and the presence of other conditions or diseases.

Hearing all of this can sound very scary. It can make the changes happening to our bodies in aging seem beyond our control. But that’s far from the truth.  

The power of strength training

Not all of the changes listed above are inevitable with aging. There is evidence to show that a large amount of the decline in muscle strength seen in aging is due to inactivity and disuse. A number of other studies now show that these changes can actually be reversed too.

We can slow these changes down, we can reduce the loss of muscle and bone density and even improve it as we age.

We therefore can take ownership and control of our bodies in aging.

Unfortunately, there is no magic medication, but there is something you can do in exercise and, more specifically, strength training. It just involves a little more effort than taking a pill every morning. That being said, strength training can also actually be more enjoyable and has many more benefits than just improving your muscle mass or bone density.

What are the benefits of strength training for older adults?There is very clear evidence for the benefits of strength training in older adults to improve muscle strength, mass and functioning, as well as increase bone density. Strength training induces muscle growth, improves muscle mass and increases muscle strength. 

It makes your muscles stronger, more powerful and keeps them doing their very important job in allowing you to do all the functional things you want to do in your life. Whether that be walking around pain free to go to the shops and see friends, looking after your children and grandchildren, going on long bike rides and country walks, playing sports or even running marathons. 

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the significant benefits of strength training for all age groups (improved muscle and bone health, improved body composition and fat loss, prevention of a huge number of chronic and preventable diseases, improved energy levels and mood). These benefits are increasingly important as we age. 

Performed regularly, 2 or 3 times a week, strength training specifically in older adults has been shown to:

• Increase muscle mass
• Improve strength
• Increase bone density 
• Improve quality of life 
• Improve functional abilities 
• Increase levels independence
• Reduce the risk of a number of age-related diseases (osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, type 2 diabetes) 
• Improve sleep quality
• Decrease levels of depression and anxiety

The list goes on and on… so the real question is, when are you going to get started?

Starting strength training as an older adult can sound like a scary prospect, but it doesn’t have to be.

You don’t need to do it at the gym with heavy weights (though you absolutely can do), it can be something carried out in your home with little or no equipment.
Browse our website to learn more, or get in touch for personalized 1:1 coaching.

​- Coach Kayli
​

Since becoming a coach/trainer so many people have confessed their deepest and darkest struggles with me.

I feel extremely blessed knowing people feel comfortable enough to be honest & open with me about their current hardships with weight, self-confidence, anxiety, etc. because by doing so it has allowed me to help them reach far beyond their initial goals. 

Because of this I would like to share one of my own past struggles that still comes back to haunt me today. 

At 10 years old, I suffered from my first eating disorder. It all started when I had fallen ill with strep throat and my throat became very irritated and swollen. I remember that morning clear as day. I was getting ready to take a bath and was finishing my blueberry Pop-Tart on the side of the bathtub before getting in. Being a hyperactive kid, even while sick, I was rushing to finish my Pop-Tart when I began to choke. 

Terror set in immediately! I couldn’t breathe. I began to panic, jumping up from the side of the tub not knowing what to do. Thankfully my Grandmother was close by in the hallway and saw the look of terror and my hands at my throat and she knew immediately what was happening. My frail, 75 year old grandmother rushed over to me and saved my life. I wouldn’t be here today if she had not been there.

Little did she or I know that this would be the catalyst to my eating disorder. From that day, I went close to 8 months without swallowing a single bite of solid food. Even the mere thought of attempting to swallow food would send me into a panic. 

Being 10 years old, a shy child, and a poor communicator, I struggled to get my parents to understand what I was going through.

My mother blamed herself. I could see the look of sadness daily in my father’s eyes as my body began to waste away.

For a short time, I was still allowed to go to school. I had to see our counselor at 10am daily to talk to him and drink a meal replacement shake. Next was lunch, where I would have to sit on a stool isolated from everyone to choke down another shake. This was due to me bribing kids with a candy bar my grandmother always packed to “accidentally” spill my shake at lunch so didn’t have to drink it. My grandmother thought I would eat the bar if I let it melt in my mouth, which I never did. These shakes would take me so long to drink I would never get time to go outside to play. Think about being 10 years old and how much recess meant to you?!

As the months went on, I started to become weaker and weaker. My mood started to diminish and I had very little energy to do anything. I could no longer go to school most days. I spent most of my days under a big homemade quilt with my best friend Ricco (my border collie). 

Every two weeks, my parents and I would make the drive up to Menninger’s Mental Health Hospital in Topeka, KS to see a psychiatric specialist to try and figure out what was going on with me. They had already run all the physical tests, things like scopes and barium x-rays to make sure nothing physically was wrong with me. I swear I was radioactive that year from all the tests and x-rays I completed.  From what I can remember of these sessions, they included lots of crying and arguing from my parents with me repeating the same thing I always did, “ I’m afraid to eat”, “No, I don’t think I’m fat”, “Yes I want to eat”. Let’s just say these visits didn’t seem to be getting anywhere.

Fast forward to about month seven. The only thing I was able to consume were liquid shakes, Carnation Instant Breakfast shakes, to be specific. To this day I have not and will never drink another one of those. These were not giving me the fuel or nutrition I needed to survive. I was about 5,5” in 5th grade and was now weighing in around 65 pounds. The doctors finally told my parents that soon, as soon as two weeks possibly, my body would begin to shut down. Their only option would be to admit me into a recovery program in Topeka where I would be monitored 24/7 and if they couldn’t get me to eat, I would then have a feeding tube inserted.

The thought of trying to eat terrified me, but the thought of being taken away from my home and family terrified me even more. I was a complete disaster days before I was to be admitted, crying and trying to talk them out of taking me. 

My grandmother came to my rescue yet again. She talked my parents into letting her try something and if it worked they would hold off on admitting me into the hospital. My grandmother knew me better than anyone and knew how to get my attention. She explained very calmly, in a voice only a grandmother can have, that I only had two options from here. She told me in order for me to get better I would either have to be admitted into that hospital alone, with only the hospital staff around me, hooked up to different machines in order to keep me alive or I could trust her and attempt to eat and swallow just 1 little macaroni noodle with her right behind me just in case something happened. She told me she saved me once and she would do it again. She promised she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me and if I did this and then continued to add things little by little each day I wouldn’t have to go to the scary hospital. 

She convinced me, I opted to try to get that tiny noodle down. I remember my hand shaking as  I lifted it to my mouth asking her if she was ready, just in case. I chewed, and chewed, and chewed, and then finally swallowed. The action felt so foreign to me. It had been so long since I had chewed anything. But I did it! I had finally gotten it down, no problem at all. Which I’m sure came as no surprise to my grandmother. I turned around to see a smile of pure joy on her face and as soon as the shock of actually swallowing something went away, I was just as happy!

I slowly started to add different foods back into my diet again and continued to grow stronger and healthier day by day. By the time the next school year rolled around, it was almost like nothing had happened. 

To this day though I am extremely careful when eating and if you ever dine with me, I am always the last person finished. I eat very slowly, making sure to chew my food a set number of times. After experiencing everything I did though, I think I can handle a little OCD. Haha.

I know my eating disorder is quite a unique one but I do hope I can help others feel safer sharing their own struggles. You will never receive judgement from me, we all have different hardships that we have had to overcome and that makes us who we are today.

I know I am a stronger woman today because of this and of course from the quick actions of my beloved grandmother.

If you need someone to listen to your story, I can be that person for you. I would be blessed to be part of your journey. 




​