The 'M' Effect, Estevan, SK (2026)

08/19/2026

Regina, we are coming for you! 🔥

I truly can’t say enough about how important this event is. There is nothing else quite like FEMME FORWARD in Saskatchewan, a women’s health summit bringing together powerful voices, important conversations, education, and the opportunity to actually ask questions and be heard.

This lineup of speakers is one you do NOT want to miss. ❤️

Please help us spread the word! Share this post, tag a friend, and invite your moms, sisters, aunts, daughters, grandmas, girlfriends—bring the whole family! These conversations matter to every woman, at every stage of life.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all I am happy to answer your questions about this incredible event!

Regina, we’ll see you September 12th! 💕

08/14/2026

This message was prompted by a check-in call I had with one of my remote clients this morning.

We were talking about her week, her habits, how things were going, and—of course—the scale came up in the conversation!

And honestly, this is a conversation I have ALL. THE. TIME.

So I thought, you know what? Maybe more women need to hear this.

Because sometimes we put so much meaning into that one little number on the bathroom scale.

So here was a little bit of our conversation…

That moody little rectangle on your bathroom floor?

It’s not lying 🤥

BUT it is definitely not telling you the whole story.

If you’ve ever stepped on the scale, seen it up 2–4 pounds and immediately thought, “Well… I blew it,” I want you to hear this:

You did not gain 4 pounds of body fat overnight.

And the same goes in the other direction.

If you suddenly drop 2–4 pounds overnight, that doesn’t necessarily mean you just lost 2–4 pounds of body fat either.

The scale is measuring change, not explaining the reason for the change.

And especially during perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, our bodies can become a little less predictable.

Hormonal changes can influence fluid balance, digestion, inflammation, appetite, sleep and how our bodies store and use energy.

So let’s talk about some of the things that can move that number up OR down.

💧 Water retention

Stress, travel, salty foods, hard workouts, poor sleep, dehydration and hormonal shifts can all affect how much water your body holds.

🍝 Glycogen

When you eat carbohydrates, your body stores some of them as glycogen. Glycogen is stored with water, roughly 3–4 grams of water for every gram of glycogen.

So after a higher-carbohydrate day, the scale may go up.

That doesn’t mean you gained body fat.

And when glycogen and its associated water decrease, the scale can drop just as quickly.

🍽️ Food volume

Had a bigger dinner? Ate later than usual?

There is literally more food and fluid inside your digestive system.

Food has weight. 😉

Who knew?

🩸 Hormonal fluctuations

For women who are still cycling, different phases of the menstrual cycle can cause changes in water retention, digestion and inflammation.

And for women in perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, changing hormone levels can make these fluctuations feel even less predictable.

🧂 Sodium

One particularly salty meal can temporarily increase water retention for a day or two.

🏋️‍♀️ Inflammation from training

Had a hard strength workout, long run, hike or challenging workout?

Your muscles are repairing and adapting. That process can temporarily increase inflammation and water retention.

So what exactly is the scale measuring 📏

Fat.
Muscle.
Water.
Glycogen.
Food in your digestive tract.
Inflammation.
Hormonal changes.
And a whole lot of other things happening inside a living, breathing human body.

You are not a spreadsheet.

And your body certainly doesn’t operate like one.

And this is the part I really want you to remember:

It works BOTH ways.

A sudden increase doesn’t automatically mean you’ve gained fat.

And a sudden decrease doesn’t automatically mean you’ve lost fat.

The scale is simply giving you a piece of information.

It’s your job to look at that information in context.

So what are we actually looking for?

CONSISTENCY. Not perfection.

If weighing yourself is something you want to do, look at trends over time rather than getting emotionally attached to one number.

And pay attention to:

• How your clothes fit
• Progress photos
• Your strength and performance
• How you feel during your workouts
• Your energy
• Your digestion
• Your hunger and fullness cues
• Your sleep and recovery
• Your daily movement
• How consistently you’re following the habits that support your goals

Because here’s the thing I really want women to stop doing:

Letting one morning’s number dictate how we communicate (you know exactly what I’m talking about) with ourselves.

You can eat well.
You can strength train.
You can walk.
You can drink your water.
You can get your protein and fibre.
You can sleep better.
You can take care of yourself.

…and the scale can still go up.

Or it can suddenly go down.

Neither one tells you the whole story.

We’re looking for the trend.

We’re looking for consistency.

We’re looking for habits you can actually sustain.

Not perfection.

As we move through perimenopause, menopause and beyond, learning to understand your body instead of constantly fighting it can be a pretty powerful shift.

So the next time you step on the scale and the number isn’t what you expected, take a breath.

Don’t immediately assume you’ve failed.

Your weight is a data point, not a moral grade.

Look at the whole picture.

And then keep going. ❤️

And if this is something you find yourself struggling with, understanding the changes in your body, knowing what to focus on, making sense of the scale, nutrition, strength training and all the changes that come with this stage of life, you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

This is exactly the kind of work I do with women.

I work with women through perimenopause, menopause and beyond to help them understand their bodies, build sustainable nutrition and movement habits, get stronger, and stop feeling like they’re constantly starting over.

If you feel like you could use some support, send me a message. We can have a conversation about where you’re at and what support might look like for you.

No pressure. No quick fixes.

Just support, education, accountability and a plan that makes sense for your life. ❤️

08/07/2026

I genuinely thought I had no willpower.

Not because I couldn’t stick to a ‘diet’…
Actually, I could.

I was really good at being “good.”

I could restrict. Follow the plan. Be disciplined. And if I needed to, tell myself I’d do better tomorrow.

But eventually, the food noise would get LOUD. I was constantly thinking about what I could eat, what I shouldn’t eat, what I was going to have later, and whether I had “earned” something.

And when I would eat the foods I had been restricting?

It was easy to feel like I had blown it.

So I’d start over.
Restrict a little more.
Try to be a little more disciplined.
And the cycle would begin again.

😱 It had NOTHING to do with discipline!

I remember thinking, when I was in my late 20’s and 30’s, this wouldn’t ‘matter’ as much. That the food noise would quiet down.

That wasn’t the truth. What changed was my understanding of food.

Learning what my body actually needs, why nourishing myself matters, and how important it is to eat enough has helped quiet that food noise in a way restriction never could. And even more than that, it has allowed me to do all of the things, and feel good when I was doing the things!

Looking back, I wasn’t lacking willpower.

😱 It had NOTHING to do with discipline OR willpower!!

And neither are you. ❤️

You are not broken.
You are not alone.
And you don’t need more rules.

We need a different relationships with food.

One where you don’t have to earn your food.
One where you don’t need to compensate for what you ate.
One where one meal doesn’t turn into, “Well, I’ve already blown it.”

And honestly, I think it comes down to a few things:

✨ The standards we hold for ourselves.
✨ The stories we tell ourselves when we don’t do something perfectly.
✨ Letting go of the restrict → overeat → guilt → restrict cycle.
✨ And building small, stackable habits that become part of who we are.

You need to start building trust with yourself, holding ourselves to the same standards we do for everyone around us!

One meal.
One choice.
One habit.
One day at a time.

Those little habits STACK.

So if you’ve been stuck in the cycle of restricting, obsessing over food, overeating, feeling guilty and promising yourself you’ll “be good” tomorrow…

Please know this:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

And you don’t have to stay stuck there. ❤️

The three pictures below all represent moments in this journey; from one extreme to the next and gratefuly coming to a place where I am truly kinder, softer, happier (cause a hungry girl can be oh so mean) and more loving to myself!

And there may be a few things coming your way soon… 👀

One might even be a little something FREE. 😉….actually not that little.

AND if you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to join me and the girl gang in the gym, keep your eyes open for September spots too.

If I can ever be a support to you; to listen, share, answer a question, or simply connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to chat and see how I can support you. 🤍

More coming soon. ❤️

Love you, mean it ~ Jen 🫶🏻

07/27/2026

Women, on average, live longer than men.

But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough…

Many women spend more of those extra years living with compromised health, dealing with osteoporosis, muscle loss, frailty, metabolic disease, reduced mobility, and a body that simply doesn’t allow them to do the things they want to do.

We’re not training for next summer. We’re training for our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond.

I know that’s hard to wrap your head around when you’re in your 30s or 40s. It can feel so far away. But for women, nearly a third of our lives can be spent in peri- and postmenopause. We deserve to move through those years feeling strong, capable, and independent—not simply hoping our bodies hold up.

This is exactly why building muscle and protecting our bones isn’t optional, it’s essential.

Strong muscles help us stay independent. Healthy bones help reduce our risk of fractures. Together, they allow us to continue doing the things we love for decades to come.

And here’s the important part…

We cannot build strong bodies by constantly under-fuelling them.

Your body needs enough protein. It needs enough calories. It needs nutrients to repair, recover, and build muscle. Restricting your food year after year while expecting your body to become stronger is working against the very goal you’re trying to achieve.

And strength training?

It doesn’t have to mean spending hours in a gym.

It can be 15-20 minutes in your living room with a pair of dumbbells. It can be two or three strength sessions each week. Small, consistent efforts over time create the biggest changes.

Every workout.
Every protein-rich meal.
Every time you choose to nourish your body instead of punish it…

You’re investing in the woman you’ll be decades from now.

Because healthy aging doesn’t happen by accident - and I always want to be able to do all the things 🙂 It’s something we start training for today.

If I can ever be a support for you, please reach out! I am happy to chat about your goals and help get a plan set up for YOU!

Love you, mean it!
Jen

07/25/2026

July has been full - in the very best way.

I’ve been busy chasing summer memories, spending as much time as I can with family and friends, while still making myself and my amazing clients a priority.

I know I’ve been a little quieter on here than usual, and honestly… it’s been intentional. Sometimes life needs to be lived a little more than it’s shared.

But I’m back, and I have so much I want to talk about; I have come into many conversations with new acquaintances and some new friends and the running theme has been this;

If you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s and beyond who is done chasing smaller (wish I would have learned this in my 30s)… this is for you.

Done trying to shrink your body.
Done believing your worth is tied to a number on the scale.
Done letting diet culture decide how you should feel about yourself.

Because by now, you’ve lived enough life to know what really matters.

You’re building a career. Raising a family. Showing up for the people you love. Carrying responsibilities your younger self could never have imagined. *Insert your story*

Your priorities have changed.

You’re no longer exercising to earn your food.
You’re moving because you want to stay strong.
You’re eating to fuel your body, not punish it.
You’re focused on building muscle, protecting your bones, supporting your hormones, and having the energy to keep doing the things you love for years to come.

Health looks different now.

It’s confidence.
It’s resilience.
It’s longevity.
It’s feeling capable in your own body.

This season of life isn’t about becoming less.

It’s about becoming stronger, healthier, and more unapologetically you.

And I think that’s something worth celebrating.

Love you, mean it!

Jen

07/02/2026

It’s been a minute since I’ve posted on here.

Truthfully, I needed to step away from social media for a bit. And while that isn’t always the best business decision when your career relies on showing up online, sometimes it’s the best decision for you.

I think we can all agree that social media can be amazing, but it can also be exhausting.

And if I’m being completely honest… sometimes it’s just freaking hard to sell yourself. 😂

You know what I mean?

To constantly think of what to post, how to say it, whether it’s valuable enough, whether people will care… it can be mentally draining. Sometimes you just want to put your phone down and live your life.

So that’s exactly what I did.

I spent more time with my family, poured into my clients, signed up for a couple of races (one of them being an ultra 😅), trained for months, completed an advanced nutrition course focused on fueling athletes, tried new recipes, learned, grew, and simply lived.

And now I’m excited to be back.

Not because I feel like I have to be, but because I genuinely love sharing the wins, the setbacks, the lessons, and everything in between. Stepping away reminded me that the best content comes from living your life first, not constantly trying to create content about it.

So thank you for sticking around while I went a little quiet.

I’m back… with a few stories to tell, a few lessons to share, and a whole lot of excitement for what’s ahead. And yes… you’ll definitely be hearing about that ultra. ❤️

⬇️⬇️ one of the new recipes - 🤤 just might have to share this recipe - sweet potato & chicken waffles 🧇

06/09/2026

Nobody gained 10 pounds from one BBQ.

Nobody got fit from one workout.

And nobody became a health goddess because they drank one protein shake and ate a salad. 😜

Yet somehow, one off-plan meal can make us feel like we’ve completely blown it.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the truth:

The women who reach their health goals during menopause aren’t the women who are perfect.

They’re the women who keep showing up.

They don’t let one rough night of sleep, one stress-eating episode, one skipped workout, or one “I ate half a bag of chips while standing at the pantry” moment convince them they’ve failed.

They simply get back to the next meal.
The next walk.
The next workout.
The next day.

After a check in call this morning with one of my remote clients, we chatted about a few different goals she had been consistently working, after I went back to her original intake form….

When we first started working together, our plan wasn’t to lose 30 pounds.

Our plan wasn’t to fit into a certain size.

Our plan wasn’t to be “perfect.”

Our first goal was simple:
Have easy, healthy anchor foods ready to go.
We focused on meal prep.
Keeping protein prepared.
Having simple grab-and-go options in the fridge and freezer.

That’s it.

Nothing flashy.
Nothing extreme.
No detoxes.
No suffering.
No sacrificing her kids sporting events, birthdays or other celebrations.

Just laying one brick at a time.

Fast forward to today, and she is nearly 30 pounds down.

Not because of one magical meal plan.

Not because she found some secret peri menopause hack.

But because she consistently showed up and repeated those small actions over and over again.

And that’s the part so many people miss.

The habits that seem too small to matter are often the exact habits that change everything.

As we age and move into menopause progress can feel painfully slow.

Your hormones are changing.
Recovery can take longer.
Sleep can feel like a part-time job or better yet, chasing sleep.
And some days you swear your body is playing by rules nobody told you about.

But progress is still happening.

Every protein-rich meal.
Every strength workout.
Every walk around the block.
Every glass of water.
Every bedtime that happens before scrolling social media for another hour. 😅

Those small actions are the bricks.

And brick by brick, you’re building something incredible.

The problem is that most of us underestimate the power of consistency because small actions don’t feel exciting.

We want dramatic results from dramatic effort.

But health doesn’t work that way.

Health is built quietly.

One ordinary choice at a time.

💡 A few strategies when you’re feeling frustrated:

✔ Focus on today’s habits, not next month’s results.
✔ Aim for consistency, not perfection.
✔ Keep protein in every meal.
✔ Lift weights a few times each week.
✔ Walk often.
✔ Keep simple “anchor foods” ready in your fridge and freezer.
✔ Give yourself the same grace you’d give your best friend.
✔ Looking for guidance, reach out.

Because one “bad” day doesn’t ruin your progress.

Just like one “good” day doesn’t create it.

Keep laying bricks.

Keep showing up.

Keep building.

And while you’re building that wall, know that I’ll be standing on the sidelines, cheering obnoxiously loud, probably holding a coffee, and reminding you that you’re doing better than you think. ❤️ If you aren’t sure where or how to start, I’m happy to sit down and chat!

PS and this lady is just getting started, a few months in and she so many plans, so many goals!

06/02/2026

New month.
New beginning.
New mindset.
New focus.
New intentions.
New goals.

06/01/2026

Some eats from last week 🤤

🇬🇷 Greek chicken bowl w/ homemade tzatziki sauce
🌽Street corn chicken bowl w/ homemade green goddess dressing
🐟Tuna lettuce bowls
🍓Power yogurt bowl
🍠 Brussel sprout chicken sweet potato bowl

One thing all of these meals have in common? They’re built around protein and fiber. These two nutrients help support muscle health, satiety, blood sugar balance, and overall health, especially during midlife. The best part, healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple, easy to plan and prep meals made with whole foods can go a long way toward helping you feel your best.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by nutrition and aren’t sure where to start, reach out, I’m here to help make it simple and sustainable.

05/30/2026

I had the privilege of speaking with an incredible group of women this past week about one of the most important and often overlooked stages of women’s health.

We talked about breaking down common myths and fears surrounding perimenopause and menopause, and why this transition does not have to mean losing muscle, bone density, strength, vitality, or quality of life. We discussed the critical role nutrition plays in supporting both everyday health and long-term wellness, the importance of strength training, evidence-based supplementation, and an introductory look at menopausal hormone therapy.

Most importantly, we talked about why these conversations matter.

The more we educate ourselves, the better equipped we are to advocate for our own health - not just for us, but for the women coming behind us: our daughters, granddaughters, friends, and even our husbands and sons, because their support and understanding is needed. Knowledge creates change, and change starts with conversation.

If you’re looking for support, want to gather a group of friends for an educational session, or have an upcoming event where these topics would benefit your audience, I’d love to be part of the conversation. Reach out anytime, because it’s never too early, and it’s never too late, to start investing in your health.

The 'M' Effect

08/19/2026

08/14/2026

08/07/2026

07/27/2026

07/25/2026

07/02/2026

06/09/2026

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

05/30/2026

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