Today is my partner’s birthday!! 🎉 Earlier this week I asked him if he wanted to go out for dinner. He said “No.” Fast forward to today… stressful, busy workday (we both WFH). He walks over to my desk and says: “Babe… I know I said I didn’t want to eat out. But today has been crazy and I just need to get out of the house. Are you cool if we go to Korean BBQ?” My inner self: YEEESSS 🙌 My tracking brain: Dang it… I already pre-tracked my Thai Bison 🦬 & Turkey 🦃 Kaprow meal plan 😆 (And apparently birthday man does NOT want Kaprow tonight 😂) Of course I couldn’t say no on his birthday 🎉 So I said yes — BUT I told him my execution plan. 🔥 Game Plan: - ❌ Marinated meats - ❌ Beef belly - ✅ Brisket - ✅ Short rib finger - ❌ Ice cream (painful but necessary 😅) Now here’s the part that saves me time ⏱️ Korean BBQ is a rotational social meal for us. I eat it often enough that I already have it structured. I got the blessing from Coach @Aaron Wong 🙌 and to make life easier, I saved it in MFP under “Saved Meals.” So instead of re-tracking everything from scratch: ✔️ I pull up the saved meal ✔️ Edit the quantity of what I actually eat ✔️ Done in minutes Planning ahead + using saved meals = GAME CHANGER. And guess what? I adjusted. I pivoted. I’m STILL within my calorie deficit range. This is a SKILL you build when you track consistently. Real life will throw last-minute social meals at you. The goal isn’t to panic. It’s to execute with structure. No stress. No guilt. Just strategy + celebration. Happy Birthday to my guy 🥂🎉 We can enjoy life AND stay aligned. Balance over extremes. Always.

Had my 1:1 during our 6-week challenge and my F45 coach asked me this: “If I told you that you can ONLY do THREE workouts per week — at F45 and/or 24 Hour — what’s your reaction?” My honest reply? “Three days is NOT enough. The gym is my outlet. It’s how I de-stress from work. It keeps me balanced.” And he calmly said… If you’re tired and you allow your body to truly recover, you’ll come back stronger — even with three workouts. More workouts with poor performance doesn’t equal better results. Recover well → perform better → build more → make smarter progress. Oof. That one sat with me. Because I love training. It’s my therapy. But he challenged me to think: Quality > quantity. Recovery is strategy — not weakness. Then he gave me homework: “What are your health pillars?” Here’s my F45 1:1 snapshot 👇 🏛️ Lena’s Health Pillars: 1️⃣ Recovery & Sleep (Now My #1) - I need 2 recovery days, not 1 - Sleep directly impacts performance - Working on phone hard stops + better wind-down - Listening to fatigue earlier Goal: Train hard, recover smarter. 2️⃣ Nutrition & Body Composition - High-protein anchor every meal - Fiber focused - Macro tracking (Premium MFP) - Meal prep even on tired days Goal: 35% → 20% body fat while maintaining muscle. (I might change my mind depending on how I look at 20% body fat) 3️⃣ Training & Strength - Strength 3x/week + HIIT 2x/week - Track PRs + progressive overload - Modify for back safety (2mm disc bulge) Goal: Build lean muscle + age strong. 4️⃣ Mindset - Adapt instead of spiral - Discipline over emotion - Use setbacks as data 5️⃣ Accountability & Support - Community driven - Partner accountability - Lead by example for my daughter 6️⃣ Longevity & Self-Respect - Back-safe training - Recovery without guilt - Night guard compliance (I grind my teeth when lifting heavy so the dentist encourages me to wear during lifting) - Thinking 60+, not just now 📍 Current focus: