debbieharbeccoach | Debbie Harbec Coaching

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023

How to put yourself first while caring for everyone else

As you may already know, midlife can be challenging.

Not only are your bodies and emotions undergoing upheaval thanks to your changing hormones, but you may also find yourself juggling multiple responsibilities, from taking care of children (even adult children) and aging parents, to managing careers and households.

Never in history have women been so over-burdened, and yet have so much agency over our lives.

Despite being able to decide for ourselves, we continue to carry the load, and are often reluctant to ask for help.

Too many of us are out of balance and exhausted.

The only way for you to restore balance and gain strength is to finally give in to taking care of your needs.

What are your needs?

June 26, 2023

Unlock your path to a fitter midlife belly: Take the quiz!

So, midlife belly fat happens.

It’s real.

In short, you’ve got hormones, they’re changing, and the result is that any fat you gain tends to be attracted to your mid-section.

June 17, 2023June 17, 2023

5 refreshing (and non-boozy) drinks to enjoy guilt-free this summer

Summer is pretty much here, and those fruity cocktails are calling!

But, if alcohol is making sleep more challenging or your migraines or hot flashes flare up, you may want to be considering alternatives for your favorite sangrias, rosées, and long island iced teas.

So, I’m sharing a few fun options here, and bonus is they’re also no-sugar-added, which is also great news for your belly.

Happy sipping!

June 12, 2023June 12, 2023

How to eat to stay energized in midlife

Are you feeling less than energetic these days?

Maybe you notice you’re more tired, or lethargic, or even exhausted?

It’s not just because you’re getting older, I promise.

Aside from all the things you’re juggling, what you’re eating may be the culprit.

When you’re in perimenopause and menopause, your hormones are changing, and like it or not, that takes up a good amount of your energy.

So, if you want to increase your energy up and make this hormone shift smoother, consider the foods your’re choosing

Choose foods that give you energy rather than zap your energy.

To help you out, here are some energizing food tips that are known to keep you energized in midlife:

May 26, 2023May 24, 2023

Join the 7-Day Belly Fit for Summer Challenge!!

So, I’m relaunching this popular challenge.

Since summer is right around the corner, this is the perfect time.

The challenge is free, and it starts June 1st!

Why “Belly Fit?”

If you’ve been a regular reader of my blog posts, you know that I’m all about losing fat around the middle.

Especially peri/menopause related belly fat.

That’s not only because I want you to fit into your favorite 20 year-old jeans (yes, that would be awesome!)

The biggest reason I’m so crazy about reducing belly fat, is that your health can be measured by your waistline.

Yup, your waistline.

Studies have shown that if your waistline is larger than half your height, you’re at a higher risk for all the big lifestyle illnesses.

That’s because belly fat is related to insulin resistance and stress.

Waist not weight

I know for a lot of you, losing weight is probably high up on your wish list.

And while that’s not a bad thing, I want you know that weight isn’t the best number to focus on.

At least not if being healthier or fitter are also goals.

In fact, focusing on weight has strong emotional ties, and may even demotivate you.

And, as you know, two people can weigh the same, but be in very different shape.

So, if better health and fitness are goals, then measure your WAIST, not your WEIGHT.

Waist circumference will tell you a whole lot more than weight.

And while you’re slimming your waistline, you’ll also be getting a whole lot of other benefits:

Stronger muscles and bones
Increased energy
Stronger emotional health
Less intense perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, migraines, and heavy periods

The Challenge

My 7-day BELLY FIT CHALLENGE is to move your body AND de-stress every day for 7 days in a row.

It’s a simply powerful way to start your summer.

So, for the first 7 days of June, you’ll receive a simple exercise/workout in you email inbox, that won’t take longer than 15 minutes to complete.

Each workout will be different, and will help you lose belly fat.

And that doesn’t mean it’s just a bunch of “core” exercises.

It means you’ll be doing a mix of strength (resistance) training, cardio, and calm, conscious movement.

And in addition to the physical workout, you’ll also get some of my favorite stress-relieving ideas.

Learning to calm your body and mind will be huge in helping you become more belly fit.

So, when the challenge is done, you’ll have lots of ideas to keep you going!

Before the Challenge

So, here’s a pre-challenge challenge for you:

Figure out where you can carve out 15 minutes in your day.

Will it be first thing in the morning, on your lunch hour, before dinner, after dinner… When works best for you?

Planning ahead is a huge part of succeeding, so find a time you know will work every day.

And another thing:

MEASURE your waistline.

You’ve got to know where you’re starting on June 1^st.

Yes, the challenge is only 7 days, and of course you won’t lose ALL the inches you want in one week.

BUT the exercises and stress relievers that I’ll be sharing with you can be used for the coming weeks and months.

So, if you stay consistent, and keep going beyond the 7 days, before you know it, you’ll have lost inches!

Imagine yourself on August 31^st, and how amazing you’ll feel knowing how far you’ve come over the summer.

Are you ready?

Let’s move forward together and get this done!!

Debbie

P.S. Here’s where to sign up for the Challenge: https://debbie-harbec.lpages.co/7-day-belly-fit-challenge-2023

P.P.S. Have questions, or want more personalized help? Email me at debbie@debbieharbeccoaching.com or book a time to talk with me directly!

May 18, 2023May 18, 2023

5 Fun Ways to Boost Your Confidence and Rock Your Midlife Body

Whoever said midlife couldn’t be fun?

Even at 81, Martha Stewart seems to be having a blast celebrating her body on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

So, what about us?

If you’re in perimenopause or menopause, with all the changes happening in your own body, why not approach them with a healthy dose of fun and humor?

In this post, I want to dive into five fun and effective ways to boost your confidence and rock your changing midlife body.

Get ready to laugh and have a great time on your way to a newfound self-assurance!

May 5, 2023

Midlife career crisis and how to overcome it

Work is a big part of our lives.

Most of us are at work, whether physically or virtually, eight hours a day on average.

And the work we do impacts our health, our stress, and our physical, emotional, and financial well-being.

So, what, when, and how you work matters.

Especially in midlife.

Because the challenges at work and outside of work are changing.

And they impact you on every level.

Outside of work you may be dealing with…

April 13, 2023April 13, 2023

Your relationship with time and how to manage it

You have a relationship with time.

You can feel like you’ve got enough or plenty of it, or you can feel like it’s running out or against you.

And right now, at 50, time means more now to me than ever.

It’s become very precious.

And so now, what I do in the time I have matters even more.

As a coach, it’s no surprise that clients regularly come to me with issues around time-management.

They’re struggling to fit everything in, and find it challenging to actually do the things they want to get done.

They want to have better time-management.

But time-management isn’t possible.

March 25, 2023March 25, 2023

How to become happier in midlife

I think of perimenopause as a time of awakening.

It kind of takes you by the shoulders and shakes you.

And if you’ve been in a busy-ness trance, like many of us, it may cause you to look around and wonder how you got here.

You start to re-examine everything in your life.

Like the time and effort you spend on your work.

And the quality of relationships you have with your partner or kids or parents or friends.

And of course, the shape and health of your body.

You may find yourself in a place, emotionally or physically, they don’t really want to be, but it’s what you’ve become used to.

It’s a dull kind of normal… It’s not terrible, but it’s not great.

You know you’re not as happy as you could be.

As you want to be.

“But what can you do? This is just life, right?”

March 9, 2023

How to stay stuck where you are

Maybe we could all write the book on this one.

So many of us are masters of staying stuck.

And we wish we weren’t.

Personally, I’ve been stuck in jobs, relationships, feeling guilty, feeling shame,…

It’s always a journey getting unstuck… and it’s where I’ve done most of my growing.

But, if you’d like to continue staying exactly where you are, just keep doing one or all of the following…