Hey hey beautiful human! Let's settle this once and for all: Do you need to eat before a workout?

You've probably heard all kinds of answers, some people swear by fasted training, others won't touch a dumbbell without a snack first. So what's the truth?

I'm giving you real-world tips you can use starting today, plus snack ideas that are quick, effective, and easy to digest.

Bottom line? Fueling is personal, but there's also a strategy behind it. And I'm walking you through both.

Want to feel better in your workouts and get the results you're working for? This episode is your guide.

In today's episode, we're breaking it all down based on your schedule, your goals, and your body. I walk you through:

• When fasted workouts are fine—and when they might backfire

• What to eat before training (without needing a full meal)

• Why afternoon and evening workouts require fuel

• What happens when you under-eat before a lift (and how to fix it)

• And how to simplify your approach so your body feels strong and steady—without overthinking it
  
  

🎧 If this topic hits home, you'll definitely want to listen to Episode 554: Why Understanding These 2 Types of Hunger Can Change Everything

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

• Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie

• Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/

• Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/

• Website: www.juliealedbetter.com

Hey hey beautiful human!

If you are postpartum and wondering whether you will ever feel strong, confident, and comfortable in your body again, I want you to know that you are not alone. Having a baby can make your body, routine, energy, and identity feel completely different, and wanting to feel like yourself again does not make you selfish.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I'm answering your questions about my postpartum fitness journey and what it actually looked like behind the transformation posts. I'm walking you through what helped me rebuild strength, lose the baby weight, and stay consistent without restriction, punishment, or rushing the process, so you can feel encouraged in your own postpartum journey, wherever you are in it.

This is Part 1 of a two-part Q&A series, so use this episode as encouragement, not comparison. My timeline is not your timeline, but feeling strong again, rebuilding confidence, and taking care of yourself in the middle of motherhood is possible when you lead with consistency, grace, and support instead of restriction or punishment.

What's Discussed:

• How long it actually took me to lose the baby weight

• What helped me know I was ready to start my fitness journey again

• How much weight I gained during pregnancy and how much I lost postpartum

• The fear of never feeling like myself again after having a baby

• The hardest part of rebuilding strength, confidence, and routine postpartum

• What I did in the moments when I wanted to give up

• Why I felt nervous posting about my body during the journey

The Movement With Julie app was such a game changer in my postpartum journey because it allowed me to work out from home, on my schedule, and around my baby without needing a gym or complicated equipment. You'll get new workouts every week, 30-minute and 60-minute options, and exercise swaps for limited equipment so you can stay consistent in the season you are actually in. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

And when it comes to nutrition, Macro Counting Made Simple will help you understand your protein, carbs, and fats so you can stop guessing and start fueling your body in a way that supports your goals. Head to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 491: 6 Steps to Embrace Your Postpartum Body. It is the perfect follow-up if you are learning how to rebuild your relationship with your body after having a baby.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

• Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie

• Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/

• Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/

• Website: www.juliealedbetter.com

Hey hey beautiful human!

So many women think confidence comes after the body changes.

After the weight is lost. After the jeans fit differently. After the arms look smaller. After the stomach feels flatter. After they finally feel "ready" to wear the swimsuit, take the photo, book the trip, go to the event, or show up without hiding.

But what if waiting for your body to change is the exact thing keeping you from becoming the woman you want to be?

In this bonus episode of Embrace Your Real, I'm challenging the belief that you have to earn the right to live fully by reaching a certain body goal first. You can have goals. You can want to feel stronger. You can want to feel better in your skin. But your life is not supposed to be on pause while you work toward those things.

This episode is your reminder that confidence is not something you wait for. It is something you practice. And sometimes the first step is doing the thing you have been saving for "later" in the body you have right now.

What's Discussed:

• How to recognize when your body image is making decisions for you

• The real cost of avoiding photos, trips, swimsuits, events, and new experiences

• Why reaching a goal does not automatically give you permission to enjoy your life

• How to stop treating your body like the price of admission for confidence

• Why living your life now can make your health journey feel lighter

• The one thing I want you to stop saving for "when your body changes"

The Movement With Julie app is there to help you stop waiting for the perfect season, the perfect schedule, or the perfect body before you start showing up for yourself. You'll get workouts you can do at home or in the gym, 30-minute and 60-minute options, new workouts every week, and exercise swaps for limited equipment so you can stay consistent in real life. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 616: What Changed When I Stopped Waiting to Feel Ready. It is the perfect next listen if you are ready to stop putting your life on hold until you feel ready, confident, or "good enough."

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

• Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie

• Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/

• Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/

• Website: www.juliealedbetter.com