Hi, I’m Ashley! A wife, mother of 5 humans and 2 canines, entrepreneur in the fitness world, and a full time employee! I recently added a bodybuilder to that already doing too much list of things!! I am committed to helping women (and a few men) find their way through the journey of health and happiness.
- March Madness with Pure and Simple Fitness
This month has been full of adventure for Pure and Simple Fitness. From Chair Yoga with seniors to mindful movement with Cincinnati Public Schools, to twisting and back bends with tacos. We had a pretty full schedule and I can’t wait to share some of the fun we had with you. Chair Yoga at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Pure and Simple Fitness had the pleasure of meeting some pretty amazing ladies at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and instructing a chair yoga class. We discussed the importance of stretching and moving our bodies so that we can remain mobile and independent. Stretching allows us to continue to do things like reach overhead to get items out of a cabinet and bend over and tie our shoes. Look at these lovely ladies below! Yoga with the students and staff at The Promise Center-An Alternative School of Cincinnati Public School District I was able to host yoga with all the girls from 4th-12th grade at The Promise Center, a Cincinnati Public alternative school, with my continued efforts with the Youth Wellness Initiative. And after that I was able to host a yoga class with the STAFF of those same students during their staff meeting for team building and stress relief. 🙌🏾 Some of our youth are holding on to a ton of stress, worry, anger, and doubt. Some more than adults because of whatever they may be going through at home, on social media, with their peers, etc. And the teachers and staff are catching the brunt of that. I’m grateful to be able to provide a space and time to escape those things, even if it’s for a short period. Twists, Turns, and Tacos! We had an amazing time discussing Trapeze Yoga and the benefits that it offers. Many times we can perform stretches that are typically harder because we have the support of the hammock. Majority of our ladies were newbies and they were able to get into an inversion on their first lesson. And after all the fun and flips, we enjoyed delicious tacos catered by Shango’s Urban Taqueria. This is a local black owned business that creates tacos with a cultural twist. If you haven’t tried them yet, do yourself a favor and run there! Summer Shred and No Nonsense Bootcamp Summer Shred and the No Nonsense Bootcamp started in March and boy are we having a ball!! This is our online and in person 6 week program, respectively. The goal: summer body ready! 🙌🏾 This is our first round and it has been amazing thus far. With the 5:30am virtual crew waking up early and getting our workouts in and out the way with a mix of body weight workouts, weight training, and cardio based exercises. The ladies have been feeling it and they make sure to let me know. 🤭 Our in person bootcamp class has been a beautiful collaboration of women cheering each other on and working hard! The camaraderie that has been created amongst these ladies is truly admirable and creates a community that leads to confidence and consistency. Although they make faces at me because they borderline hate the workouts and the pain associated with it 🤣🤣🤣 they love the results that will definitely show by summer. So What’s Next?? March has been such an amazing month and none of this would be possible without your continued support and referrals! We will have the 2nd round of the Summer Shred (virtual morning crew) and No Nonsense Bootcamp (in-person evening crew) starting April 17. They both come with the Pure and Simple Detox Ebook and you can participate in the Tuesday yoga classes at no additional cost to you! Summer is around the corner!! Which one are you joining? 6 Week Summer Shred (am/virtual) No Nonsense Bootcamp Class (pm/in person) I will also be setting up a table at the Bootcamp Cincinnati Popup with my mentor and old trainer Denise Bryers. I hope that you come by and see me! I will be having some amazing giveaways, so come by the table to say hi and enter the raffle! 🎉 And lastly, registration is open for the 4th Annual Pure and Simple Fitness Walk-A-Thon and it’s absolutely free! Join us as we raise awareness around childhood obesity and fight against it together! Sign Up Here for FREE 🎉 Can’t make it to the event?? You can still help our youth by making a donation to the Youth Wellness Initiative! Make a Difference Here! 🎉 I appreciate you all for rocking with us and can’t wait to see what April has to offer!! With love, Coach Ash - Youth Wellness Initiative
I’m so excited to announce this new program that Pure and Simple Fitness has created! Pure and Simple Fitness has been funded by Hamilton County to help with the execution of a new program designed to bring fun fitness, mindful movement, and nutrition guidance and meals to the youth within our community. I’d like to introduce to you the Youth Wellness Initiative. 🎉 Did you know that childhood obesity is on the rise? And African American youth are at higher numbers than their White or Asian counterparts. According to CDC, 24.8% of Black youth are obese, with only 9% of Asians being obese. Obesity can lead to other health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. All of which is preventable (and reversible)! We have to do something about these numbers and the Youth Wellness Initiative is striving to do just that! You can read more about effects of childhood obesity here. Since launching this initiative, we have been able to provide several youth groups within the Cincinnati area with fitness equipment to have and use at their leisure. We have also been able to provide fun fitness and mindful movement sessions with different youth groups to help keep them active and mobile and practice relaxation and recovery. What We’ve Been Up to So Far During the basketball season, I was fortunate enough to work with the Girl’s Princeton High School Basketball team. I led the young ladies with recovery yoga sessions throughout the basketball season as a way to rest, relax, and recover from those demanding basketball games. At the end of the basketball season, I was able to gift each player with their own yoga mats to take their recovery yoga practice home! I also had the lovely opportunity to work with the Winton Hills Cincinnati Recreation Commission. Here, I was able to work with the younger youth group and the older youth group separately. The younger group loved choosing yoga poses from a deck of cards full of yoga poses. Whichever number they landed on, we would recreate the pose ourselves. They absolutely loved the Bow Pose. Check them out below! Our older youth enjoyed the same activity. I went around the room giving each youth a chance to choose a number from the deck of cards and the corresponding pose with that number is what we would recreate. They moaned and groaned at the start, but eventually became actively engaged until the end! Their favorite pose was the Shoulder Stand and the Bridge. We have also had the opportunity to work with Cincinnati Public Schools! I provided a fun obstacle course for grades 4th-12th grade. The younger kids are always more receptive to seeing me with either a mat or fitness gear. The 4-6th graders came right into the gym, gave me the weird eyes but had a blast with the obstacle course. Some of the students going through the course several times! The older kids were apprehensive, but engaged as well and went through the course a few times too! It was a lot of laughter, high energy, and focus on fitness! I’m so incredibly thrilled for what this program will do for the well-being of our community. We have some more fun-filled events coming up and I plan to keep you all updated! If you know of any youth groups that could benefit from this program please feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] Please add “Youth Wellness Initiative” in the subject line so the email doesn’t get lost. 🙏🏾 Thank you so much, and please stay tuned as Pure and Simple Fitness continues to make self-care and wellness, accessible and affordable within our community! Stay tuned! 💖 🌟Be Intentional Coach Ash - Bad Carbs vs Good Carbs
Carbs have a bad reputation. So much so that people will try to eliminate carbs out of their diet all together! But before you go on a No Carb Ever diet, let’s learn a little more about them. All Carbs Are Not Bad 💥 Carbohydrates, also known as carbs, play a critical role in our daily bodily functions. Carbs consist of sugars, starches, and fiber. This nutrient category is the body’s main fuel source and should be consumed for proper bodily functions. The word carbohydrate comes from the chemical makeup of the nutrient food group. The chemical makeup includes carbon, water and oxygen, hence “carbo” meaning carbon and “hydrate” meaning water (hydrogen and oxygen). Carbs are made of two groups. Complex Carbohydrates and Simple Carbohydrates. To help you remember, think of Complex Carbs as the carbs that are harder to eat for most (not sweet). These are the carbs that comprise of healthy nutrients and fiber. Think veggies, beans, and whole grains. Simple carbohydrates are the carbs that are easy to eat for most (sweet). These carbs are made up of sugars and processed ingredients. Common Misconception-Natural sweeteners are more nutritious than artificial sugars. The body doesn’t care. Sugar is sugar. You may benefit from consuming fruit as oppose to a Snickers bar because there are other nutrients and antioxidants in the fruit. This is why some diabetics are encouraged to eat fruits with less sugar in it. Fiber and Starches 🌾 Starches are plant-based carbs that are also known as Complex Carbohydrates. Examples would be beans, peas, pasta, potatoes, rice and other grain products. Fiber is another Complex Carbohydrate. Fiber comes in various types and is responsible for helping with bowel regularity. In most cases you can find fiber in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and lentils. A diet rich in fiber can also help lower the risk of obesity, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. Both fiber and starches provide a sense of feeling satiated with much less caloric intake when compared to simple carbohydrates or sugar. Sugars 🍫 Sugars are broken down into many forms. “Mono-” meaning one, “di-” meaning two, “oligo-” meaning few, and “poly-“many and “saccharide-” means sugar. Some sugars are natural. Natural sugars would be the sugars found in fruits, vegetables, and honey. These are not processed or added. They occur naturally. These natural occurring sugars are called fructose. Fructose is considered a monosaccharide or one unit sugar. Glucose is another monosaccharide and is the sugar that is used for energy in the body’s cells. It is considered blood sugar and sometime blood glucose, because it circulates through the blood. Galactose is another monosaccharide that is structurally the same as glucose but doesn’t taste as sweet. When two monosaccharide units of link together, it is referred to as disaccharides. Examples would be: And not to get too complex with info, oligosaccharides contain 3-10 units of sugar. So in a nutshell, the body needs carbs. Carbs are the body’s main source for energy. Carbs fuel the body to do everything from jogging, workouts with Pure and Simple Fitness (shameless plug), digestion and optimal thinking. This is not typically a food group you want to avoid. It is however, important to consume the carbs that contain less added sugars, as well as consist of both fiber and starches. This will keep you full with less caloric intake and bowel regularity! Keep it simple! If you are looking to get a jump start to your summer body, grab The Pure and Simple Detox Plan/E-Book Here!! Only $5 for the month of March in honor of National Nutrition Month🎉🎉 - Twist, Turns, and TACOS??
Join us at the Lion’s Pride Wellness Center for an exciting in-person event! Get ready to experience the exhilarating world of Trapeze Yoga. This introductory session is perfect for beginners who want to learn the basics of this unique and fun practice. Register Here! Swing, twist, and turn your way to a stronger body and a calmer mind. Our expert instructor will guide you through a series of poses and movements, helping you build strength, flexibility, and balance. And don’t forget, we’ll also have delicious tacos to enjoy after the session. So come on over and discover the joy of Trapeze Yoga with us! This event will be intimate so that the instructor can properly manage those who are new to Trapeze Yoga so make sure you register quickly! Only 6 spots available. Secure your spot today! Register Here! Our tacos will be catered by a Cincinnati Based business Shango’s Urban Taquiera! Where they combine your usual traditional taco with a twist of added cultural roots from Afro Brazilians to Jamaica in several taco options! You don’t want to miss this one! Secure your spot today! Register Here! See you soon!! 💖💖 - How Can I Lose Fat in My Stomach ONLY?
🗣YOU CAN NOT SPOT REDUCE FAT! This means that you can’t specifically target an area to lose fat in. The body will lose fat in any area it chooses to and genetics plays a role in that. You can however, target ares of the body to be more toned and shapely by building muscle in that specific area. For example, many women come to me saying they want a bigger butt. Well… genetics plays a role in that as well but we can grow the glutes by building the muscles and targeting that area frequently. Others come to me saying they want to lose their boobs. Another genetic thing, but we can target that area by working the chest muscles giving the boobs a lift by toning and strengthening that area. ALSO!!! The more muscle your body has, the more effective your body becomes at burning body fat which will eventually come off in those areas you want. So technically….strength training is a win win. What I suggest to all my clients is a holistic approach to this wellness journey. The following will help! 1. Moving more with cardiovascular activity and strength training will help you to burn fat and tone muscle simultaneously. 2. Get your mindset right and believe you are more than capable to make the changes you want. 3. Make sure your nutrition is 80-90% on point. It is ok to enjoy some of your favorites, but it shouldn’t be majority of your nutrition. 4. Do this consistently for 6 months and report back to me! I’d love to hear your successes. Remember, we can not compare our chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 10. Take your time, have grace on yourself, decide that this is important to you and do the work! With love 💖 ~Coach Ash #sharingiscaring #mondaymotivation #coaching #Bodyfat #bodypositive #keepgoing #bigbutt #boobs #knowledgeispower Pure and Simple Fitness - Stop Getting on the Scale! Do This Instead.
When we embark on a new weight loss journey, the first thing we typically rely on is the scale. Since birth, our weight has been the measurement of choice to determine our health. But as we all know, the scale can also be the most daunting experience of our doctor visits! I’m here to give you some reasons you should stop weighing yourself so often, and provide you with other healthier alternatives to measure your health and success with your wellness journey. Stop weighing yourself daily if the following is happening: Listen, you are not alone! I have dealt with many of the above concerns and still have to check myself from time to time. This morning being one of those times! The scale is just one form of measurement. It is not the only form of measurement to see your success. What you cannot see on the scale is what all comprises and creates that number on the scale at that given moment. The scale can NOT tell you the following: Do not let the scale be your downfall! I suggest, if weighing yourself often creates negative impact on you and your journey then you do it less often. I definitely think it’s important to track your progress. That way you know if what you’re doing is working. But if tracking your progress with the scale every day is only hindering, your progress, then you need to make some changes. Maybe instead you can weigh yourself weekly, or bi-weekly. This gives you enough time to continue on your journey but also track your progress. It allows you to continue taking the steps that you need to create success, like moving more, eating more nutritious foods, and getting your headspace together so you can continue to remain consistent. If you are someone who needs to weigh yourself more often then do it twice a week but as soon as you notice it is affecting your mental state again then you need to reassess, reevaluate, and make a change so that you can continue on this journey, the most healthy way possible. I encourage you to use other forms of measurement in conjunction with weighing yourself. Another form of measurement is tape measure. You can always use a tape measure weekly or every two weeks to see your progress. This allows you ability to see the physical changes that are being made. These subtle changes are easy to miss when we look at ourselves every day. When you start noticing that those inches are coming off, even when the scale is not changing, it can be a huge game changer! Now you have a physical indicator of your progress and of your hard work. Another form of measurement is tracking your mood. Take note of these changes. A more positive attitude is definitely a form of measurement for success. Start journaling your journey that way you can use that to determine if you should continue on this path. If you notice that in most cases that you feel like a completely new person when you stay consistent with the things that you told yourself that you would do, then journal that success and track that progress. It will instill some confidence and trust in yourself. Thus leading to lasting change. Another form of measurement is how your clothes fit. Take note of this changes! It shows that what you’re doing is working. Keep going, SIs! Don’t get caught up on that scale. That thing will fluctuate every single day that you look at it making you feel hopeless and like all your work is for nothing. I encourage you to keep moving, keep showing up, and keep doing the things that you promised yourself that you would… And watch what will happen! What are some things that you do to measure your success around health and wellness? Have you felt any of those feelings above when you’re weighing yourself? How do you handle it? What are one of the tips that you will begin to implement to measure your success? As always thank you for taking time to read this and coming to my corner of the Internet. To much success and wellness. ✨ ~Coach Ash 💖