Kelly Hawk Advocates for Small Changes

In this TaskHuman Talks Podcast episode, coaches Jamie Carroll and Kelly Hawk discuss how to make small lifestyle changes with a lasting impact. As a health and fitness professional, Kelly has years of experience in this area. Learn from Kelly’s top tips below:

1. Change Your Behavior

In Kelly’s experience, clients often struggle to carry the practices they have during a training session into everyday life. Moving, eating well, and stretching are simpler to do when the coach is there to guide them.

But Kelly thinks you can set yourself up for success when the coach isn’t there too. She works with her clients to create small, manageable goals and strategies for the next day or days between sessions.

By using small, attainable goals, her clients have success, which empowers them to keep going. The small wins lead to other changes, and eventually, there is an entire lifestyle change.

But it all starts with small movements in the direction you want to go. Sometimes, all you need is a good 15-minute walk to relax your body, clear your mind, and improve your posture and mood.

Kelly also cautions against doing too much at once. It’s important to let your body rest.

“At some point, their body is going to crash,” she says. “They’re working too hard.”

2. Start Stretching

Most of us know we should stretch and have heard the benefits. Yet, we hunch over our keyboards all day and do high-impact exercises that strain our muscles.

Try to dedicate thought and time to stretching. Kelly believes people skip it because they think of it as boring or don’t immediately notice the positive impact it has on their bodies.

She once struggled to incorporate it too. “For 16 years I was telling my clients, ‘Don’t neglect the stretch,’ but I too was neglecting the stretch,” she says.

Now that she dedicates time to stretching, she has less hip, knee, and back pain.

3. Movement Is Everything

Like most fitness professionals, Kelly has exercises she loves: Burpees and the Clean & Press, are two of them. But her absolute favorite exercise is squats. The functionality of squats makes them a winner for her.

In our culture, especially now, we spend so much time sitting that our bodies need to be reactivated. Squats do just that. You don’t need special equipment or weights to make them effective either.

“Don’t underestimate your body weight as resistance,” Kelly says.

4. Practice Yoga

Yoga’s long history means it has ridden the waves of popularity. However, the benefits of low-impact strength and flexibility exercises have not changed.

Beginning a yoga practice might be intimidating for someone with limited flexibility, but Kelly explains there’s more benefit than just that.

She advocates for starting with a calming yoga practice. Doing this will also let you practice meditation techniques at the same time, and have additional benefits like better sleep. Even 15 minutes of practice with a TaskHuman coach can be beneficial.

It’s also an important tool to help manage stress. Other ways Kelly recommends reducing stress is to take walks and create morning and evening routines.

These practices can be soothing because we know what to expect and what we need to work towards. Kelly’s top tip? Schedule the time. “If I don’t get my workout done in the morning, it’s probably not going to happen.”

5. Plan for Treats

Food can be a big source of anxiety for many people. With a little planning, Kelly says it doesn’t have to be. Some simple tips can include substituting white flour for whole wheat and white sugar for more natural sugars (honey, maple syrup, etc.). You can even try healthier options of family favorites, like finding a recipe for muffins that is nourishing. 

Here’s Kelly’s go-to snack recipe for her family:

Nut Butter Protein Balls

• 1 cup nut butter
• chocolate chips or raisins to taste
• 1 scoop protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
• 1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup honey

Mix it all together. Form the mixture into balls. Put into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Related reading: Small Changes Create a Big Impact for Emily Kulas

As a coach on TaskHuman, it’s important that Kelly understands what clients need before the session starts, which is why she reaches out to them beforehand to get the information she needs to create a tailored experience for each client. Connect directly with Coach Kelly for more guidance!

Engage with the full podcast here. 

Book A Call

Updated December 2024