Monday, July 29, 2024

Healthy Habits - Self-Care (Interview with Kat Napolitano)

I recently had a chance to interview Kat Napolitano, health and wellness coach specializing in women over the age of 30 and focused on self love and self confidence through fitness, nutrition, mindset and a little bit of wine!



Why is it important for moms to take care of themselves?

As Moms we tend to put all of our energy, time and focus into what we can do for everyone else.  The reality is that if we are not taking the time to take care of ourselves we actually do a disservice to those we love.  It is only when we are feeling our best that we are able to show up as a better Mom, wife, partner, and person.  


Let’s face it if you are lacking in energy, feeling stressed, and literally heavier in life it is so challenging to show up with that smile on your face.  To listen with compassion and patience to our children and give our partners that extra time and attention.  Compare that with your best self when you feel lean and strong and energized - you just show up differently in every aspect of your life.  ESPECIALLY in your relationships. 


What are some elements of self-care that moms often overlook?

Mindset.  I think we all focus on the external of what we look like.  How much weight we need to lose, and what size we should be.  We struggle with a fitness and nutrition programs because if the weight does not come off as fast as we want- and it never does- LOL- then we feel defeated and quit and go right back to our old habits.  


The piece of the puzzle I really like to work on is the self love mindset.  Because that is the powerful engine of being able to make healthier habits a lifestyle and not a trend.

It is very different when you are in the mindset of working out and eating well for health, self love, confidence, strength and quality of life than it is to fit into an unrealistic mold that society has created for us.  And most likely an unrealistic version of what our own bodies “should” look like.  It just leads to frustration and overwhelm.


When we start working on the mindset of why we are struggling with locking into healthier habits we start uncovering what is holding us back.  And as we switch on all of the reasons we want to be healthy- like living a longer higher quality of life with and for the ones we love- then it stops the societal pressure of the feeling of failure and starts us focusing on what really counts- and that is not how we look but how we FEEL.  And I love helping women feel amazing and step into their best selves- not their skinniest self- but their happiest, best self.



How can setting aside time for ourselves actually make us more productive?


I know it can sound counter- intuitive- because I know as a Mom there are already never enough hours in a day!  Because literally HOW can you find the 30 minutes you need to move your body and I know you do not have one brain cell left to think about changing the way you and your family eat- BUT if you gave birth- than the reality is that you actually CAN and you SHOULD! Not to be skinny but to start feeling better in every part of your life.


And yes- I keep it real- so I’m just going to tell you that you are going to have to give something up to make this happen.  Maybe it is the Netflix series, maybe it is scrolling on social media, maybe you are going to have to sacrifice a little sleep - but it will be worth it- because I want you to feel amazing and live your best life.  Because that is what is waiting on the other side of that small sacrifice- a more energized, more productive, slimmer, stronger, sexier, you!


I refer to this as the self life cycle.  And it’s not that all of these elements are working at 100% all of the time- but they all support each other- for example when you get that workout in it encourages you to make better nutrition choices, that in turn gives you energy, which makes you feel better, you sleep better, you feel less stressed, and more focused and are able to be more productive.  All of that adds up to the best version of yourself in so many aspects of your life.


It’s not about making all of the changes in one day.  Matter of fact it’s best to make small but effective changes in your habits that you can stay consistent with that will have the biggest impact.  So find the time- your best self is just waiting for you to rock your best life!  



Connect with Kat:

Instagram @kat_napolitano
Facebook @lovesizeme2


Fitness instructor, choreographer, stock broker, dancer, cheerleading coach, brand ambassador, entertainment producer, influencer, dance teacher - these are all titles Kat has held but now she is most excited about a new title: Motivator, Modifier, Self Confidence Coach.

At age fourteen, when her best friend brought her to an adult jazz class in Boston, Kat was instantly transformed by dance. Kat never considered dance as an actual career option, so out of college she became a stock broker. But it wasn’t long before she realized that if she didn’t try dance, she would not be happy in life- EVER. Forever the entrepreneur, Kat created her own dance company called The Funky Girl Club in Boston. She realized she wanted more and moved to Miami to be with family for a summer break before heading to LA. In Miami, Kat’s career boomed. So LA would have to wait.

Kat became the choreographer for the Miami Heat Dancers. Also during this time, Kat continued to teach fitness classes as a certified instructor. She taught everything from cardio kickboxing, low impact, and Step to Hip Hop, stretch and more. One of her fitness mentors; Janis Saffell was the first one to invite Kat to Los Angeles to be in her fitness video for Crunch Fitness in 1995.

Los Angeles was calling, so Kat made the move in 2000. She was choreographing commercials, soap operas, TV shows and many live events. It was here that her personal life changed dramatically. Kat met
the love of her life, her husband Ted, on the set of an HBO show called Aril$$. It was love at first sight and they were married in Miami in 2002. In the following years they had their beautiful daughter, Charlotte, and together opened their own successful production company, Infiniti Creative. All the while, Kat continued to appear in many fitness videos having been in over 40 videos to date. The most notable of course was the 21 Day Fix series with Beachbody and celebrity trainer Autumn Calabrese. This is where Kat found her ability to connect with and to help motivate people on a level she could never imagine!

In 2020 as the Global Pandemic consumed the headlines, all of our lives changed dramatically- as did Kat’s. With her Events company at a complete standstill Kat had the time and the need to devote herself full time to her coaching. Kat feels that out of this chaos came clarity and the version of her life that she loves more than anything and that is dedicating herself completely to coaching and inspiring others.

“I am still and always will be working on my goal weight” says Kat, “But by being realistic about my goals and real with my followers, then I can hopefully help and inspire people to do the same”. Kat loves to inspire people-especially women- to find self love and the motivation to take care of their health for a lifetime. I can’t think of a better thing to do in life.”

Kat lives in Texas with her husband Ted, daughter Charlotte, and their dog Mochi :)

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