Hey hey beautiful human!

If realizing we are already past the halfway point of the year makes your stomach drop a little, this episode is for you.

Maybe January was supposed to be the start of the year you finally got consistent, stopped starting over, built the body you wanted, or followed through on the goals you kept pushing off. And now you are looking up wondering where the time went.

But girl, this check-in is not here to make you feel bad. It is here to help you stop waiting until December 31st to ask the question that actually matters: Is what you are doing right now getting you where you want to go?

In this bonus episode of Embrace Your Real, we are pausing to look at what is working, what is not working, and what needs to shift before the rest of the year passes you by. There is still so much time left, but only if you are willing to get honest now.

What's Discussed:

• Why the mid-year mark can bring up frustration, pressure, or disappointment

• How to give yourself credit for what has been working

• The question to ask yourself before December 31st gets here

• Why "trying harder" is not always the real solution

• How to figure out what is actually standing in your way

• Why the rest of this year can still look completely different

And if this check-in shows you that your workouts are the obstacle, Movement With Julie gives you a clear plan so you can stop winging it and start following through. You'll get five brand-new workouts every week, 30-minute and 60-minute options, and home or gym flexibility. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

If nutrition is the piece that keeps tripping you up, Macro Counting Made Simple helps you understand how to fuel your body without restriction, overwhelm, or guessing. Head to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 619: 7 Unconventional Ways to Stay Consistent and Actually See Results. It is the perfect next listen once you know what needs to change and want a real way to make consistency stick.

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

This episode is dedicated to every mom who has ever cooked a full meal for her family and then stood over the sink eating crackers because she ran out of steam before she got to her own plate.

Because that is just reality sometimes, right?!

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I am getting into the real reason this keeps happening, how to cope when you are in full survival mode and you are the one running the kitchen, and how to start fueling yourself well without treating it like a completely separate project on top of everything else you are already doing.

What I discuss:

• Why feeding yourself as a mom often feels harder than feeding everyone else—and why it isn't a lack of motivation or discipline.

• The invisible mental load of planning, shopping, budgeting, cooking, and managing everyone's changing food preferences.

• Practical strategies for staying nourished during busy "survival mode" seasons, including prioritizing eating something over eating perfectly.

• Simple ways to make family meals work for your own nutrition by building your plate around the food you're already preparing.

• Easy, realistic habits that make healthy eating more sustainable, such as keeping convenient protein sources on hand and using leftovers intentionally.

• How macro counting can provide a flexible framework for understanding your body's needs without requiring perfection or restrictive dieting.

And if you loved this episode I think you will also love Episode 662: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Start Tracking Macros as a Mom.

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

Have you ever looked at your life and felt like you should be doing better in every single area?

You want to stay consistent with your workouts, eat well, be present with your family, show up at work, keep your home together, grow as a person, take care of your relationships, and somehow not feel completely drained by all of it.

And when one area starts slipping, it can feel like you are the problem.

But what if the problem is not your discipline?

In this bonus episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about the pressure to chase too many goals at once and why it can make you feel like you are failing even when you are actually trying so hard. If you have been feeling behind, overwhelmed, or like you can never do enough, this episode is going to help you look at your goals in a completely different way.

What's Discussed:

• Why feeling behind does not always mean you need to try harder

• How to recognize when you are expecting too much from yourself at once

• Why one area of life may need to take priority for a season

• How "good enough for now" can give you room to breathe

• Why narrowing your focus can help you feel less guilty and more present

• How to decide what matters most in this chapter of your life

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 474: Overcoming Unrealistic Expectations of Yourself. It is the perfect next listen if you are ready to stop holding yourself to standards no real woman could live up to.

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

If you want stronger legs, more glute growth, or that lean, defined look, it makes sense to wonder if one leg day is really enough.

And if you are already putting in the work, it can be frustrating when your lower body still does not look as defined as you want it to.

So naturally, your brain goes to the next question: do I need more leg days?

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are answering a question from the Movement With Julie community about training legs multiple times a week, repeating muscle groups, and what actually helps your body build definition without burning you out.

What's Discussed:

• How recovery plays a role in building muscle and seeing definition

• What to look at before adding another weighted lower body workout

• How to make leg exercises more challenging without needing heavier weights

• Where walking, HIIT, Pilates, and yoga can fit into your routine

• Why nutrition matters if you are training consistently but not seeing the definition you want

• How to get more out of the work you are already doing

If you want a strength plan that takes the guesswork out of your workouts, Movement With Julie gives you structured training you can do at home or in the gym, with 30-minute and 60-minute options that help you build strength without overthinking what to do next. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

And if you are putting in the work but not seeing the definition you want, your nutrition may be the piece that needs more attention. Macro Counting Made Simple helps you understand how to fuel your body for muscle, recovery, and real results without restriction or overwhelm. Head to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 566: What Women Get Wrong About Progressive Overload. It is the perfect next listen if you want to keep training smarter and getting better results from the workouts you are already doing.

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

Summer can make it feel like fitness has to wait.

The schedule is looser, the kids are home, trips are happening, weekends are fuller, and suddenly your normal routine feels harder to hold onto. So you tell yourself you are being flexible, you are enjoying the season, you will get back to it later.

But then later keeps getting pushed back.

And instead of feeling free, you start feeling off, tired, frustrated, and disconnected from yourself.

In this bonus episode of Embrace Your Real, I'm sharing the simple summer fitness commitment that is helping me stay consistent without making the season feel strict. We are talking about why waiting for motivation does not work, how a few non negotiables can make fitness feel easier, and why getting it done first can help you enjoy the rest of your day without guilt sitting in the background.

What's Discussed:

• How to stay consistent without needing a perfect routine

• Why making movement optional can leave you feeling less like yourself

• The simple movement and strength commitments I'm using this summer

• Why removing the daily decision makes follow-through easier

• How to keep showing up when travel, kids, and loose schedules are in the mix

• Why consistency can help you enjoy summer with more energy and less guilt

The Movement With Julie app is there when you need your workouts to be simple, effective, and easy to fit into real life. You'll get 30-minute and 60-minute options, home and gym workouts, band-friendly options, five brand new workouts every week, and exercise swaps for limited equipment so you can stay consistent wherever summer takes you. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 619: 7 Unconventional Ways to Stay Consistent and Actually See Results. It is the perfect next listen if you want to understand what makes consistency stick during summer and every other season of life.

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!

Most women are taught to think about food in terms of what it will do to their body.

Will this make me gain weight? Will this set me back? Did I stay on track? Did I mess it up?

But, what if that is the question keeping you stuck?

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about food in a completely different way. Not from a place of rules, guilt, or restriction, but from the question so many women forget to ask: how do I actually want to feel?

Because the way you eat can affect your energy, mood, focus, digestion, cravings, sleep, workouts, and the way you move through your entire day. And once you start noticing that connection, healthy eating stops feeling like something you have to force and starts feeling like a way to take care of yourself.

What's Discussed:

• How eating well starts to feel different when you connect it to energy, mood, and focus

• Why the 3pm crash, brain fog, bloating, and low motivation may be connected to how you are fueling

• Why your best days and hardest days can teach you so much about what your body needs

• How eating to feel good can shift your relationship with food

• Why consistency feels easier when the reward is how you feel today, not just a future result

Macro Counting Made Simple helps you understand how to fuel your body without restriction, overwhelm, or guessing. It gives you a simple way to learn what your body needs so your food choices support your energy, mood, focus, and goals. Head to macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 536: Can't Stop Craving Certain Foods? Here's What's Really Going On. It is the perfect next listen if you want to understand your body's signals instead of fighting against them.

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 have been on social media lately, you have probably seen the giant bowls, the huge salads, the low calorie snack plates, and the "look how much food you can eat for 300 calories" videos. And at first, it sounds like the perfect solution. You get a full plate. You feel like you are eating a lot. You stay within your goals. So of course it feels like the smarter way to lose fat without feeling miserable.

But girl, a bigger plate does not automatically mean a better approach.

That is the part we need to talk about. Volume eating can be such a helpful tool, but if the goal becomes "how much food can I eat for the fewest calories," you can end up chasing fullness without actually learning how to fuel your body.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I'm breaking down the pros and cons of volume eating, where it can support your goals, where it can start to backfire, and how to use it in a way that helps you feel satisfied without missing the nutrition your body needs.

What's Discussed:

• What volume eating actually is and why it sounds so appealing

• The part of volume eating that social media tends to leave out

• Why chasing the lowest calorie option can make your meals feel satisfying but still incomplete

• How volume eating can affect protein, nutrients, hunger cues, and real life eating

• Why volume eating works best as a tool, not your full nutrition strategy

• How to pair volume eating with a macro framework so your meals support your goals

Macro Counting Made Simple helps you understand what your body actually needs so you can stop building meals around the lowest calorie option and start building meals that keep you full, fueled, and on track. Once you know your protein, carbs, and fats, volume eating can become a helpful tool instead of something you are relying on to do all the work. Head to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 466: What To Do When You Are Still Hungry After Hitting Your Macros. It is the perfect next listen if you are trying to manage hunger while staying consistent with your nutrition.

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

Postpartum fitness can feel confusing when you are trying to heal, feed a baby, sleep when you can, and somehow feel like yourself again. You may be wondering what workouts make sense, how often you should move, what to do with nutrition, how breastfeeding affects progress, and how to stay patient when the scale is not moving.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are continuing the postpartum fitness Q&A to answer the questions so many new moms are quietly asking. We are talking workouts, macros, breastfeeding, finding time with a newborn, and rebuilding strength without rushing or punishing your body.

If you have not listened to Part 1 yet, go back and listen after this episode because together, these two episodes give you the full picture of what helped me navigate postpartum fitness in a way that felt supportive, realistic, and sustainable.

What's Discussed:

• What workouts I did postpartum and whether they were intense or low impact

• How I made workouts happen with a newborn and an unpredictable schedule

• What my nutrition looked like and when I started counting macros again

• How breastfeeding affected my postpartum fitness journey

• How I stayed patient when the scale was not moving as fast as I wanted

The Movement With Julie app made it so much easier to stay consistent postpartum, even when my schedule felt all over the place. You'll get five brand-new workouts every week, and you can choose two to three to start. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

And for nutrition, Macro Counting Made Simple helps you stop guessing and start fueling your body without restriction or overwhelm. Head to www.macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode and already listened to Part 1, you'll also love Episode 514: 10 Ways to Manage Your Fitness as a New Momma. It is the perfect follow-up for making fitness work in this season of motherhood.

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