Judy Pagryzinski 10/6/26 Judy Pagryzinski 10/6/26

Seed Oils: Are They Really as Bad as Social Media Says?

If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen someone telling you to throw out your canola oil, avoid anything containing soybean oil, and switch to cooking exclusively with beef tallow or butter.

Apparently, seed oils are the latest ingredient we’re supposed to be afraid of.

The claims are pretty dramatic. Seed oils are supposedly inflammatory, toxic, harmful to your hormones, and responsible for everything from chronic disease to weight gain. And, as is usually the case with nutrition trends, the advice is delivered with a whole lot of confidence and not always a whole lot of context.

So, are seed oils actually bad for you? Should you be avoiding them? And is swapping your canola oil for beef tallow really the health upgrade the internet claims it is?

Let’s break it down.

First, what exactly are seed oils?

Judy Pagryzinski 9/24/26 Judy Pagryzinski 9/24/26

How Do I Know Which Nutrition Information Online is Actually Credible?

Written by Amelia Brunet, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian

If you have ever opened TikTok to watch one video and somehow ended up 45 minutes later convinced that seed oils are toxic, gluten is ruining your gut, and you need $80 greens powder to survive… welcome to the internet.

We have access to more nutrition information than ever before. The problem? Not all of it deserves our attention or our trust.

Between TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, blogs, influencers, and “What I Eat in a Day” videos, it can be incredibly difficult to figure out what is actually evidence-based and what is simply a confident person with a ring light and a discount code.

So, how can you tell the difference?

Judy Pagryzinski 9/8/26 Judy Pagryzinski 9/8/26

You Don't Need to Find Your Motivation. You Need to Decide.

I’ll be the first to say it as a trainer and owner of a fitness studio. Motivation goes in waves.

Sometimes I'm on a high and I'm excited to run, excited to work out, eating well, feeling good and really on top of things. Other times I just need someone to keep me accountable.

When I sign up for a group class, when I put my card down for personal training, you bet your ass I’m going to be there.

Because now I've done three things:

1. I've made a promise to myself.

2. There's someone there waiting for me.

3. I've made an investment.

I put my money behind the decision.

And all three of those things make a difference for me.

Because let’s be 100% honest for a second. You can know exactly what you should be doing and still need accountability to actually do it. That’s pretty human.

Judy Pagryzinski 8/27/26 Judy Pagryzinski 8/27/26

Why Core Strength Is About More Than Visible Abs

Let's talk about the core.

Because fitness has always had an aesthetic attached to it.

The 90s gave us skinny culture. The 2000s swung hard in the other direction and celebrated curves. And since the Pilates boom post-COVID, we've somehow landed right back at the size-0 ideal — except now she's wearing an Alo set, drinking a green juice and casually showing off a perfectly flat stomach while telling us this is what "strong" looks like.

And listen...I love an Alo set.

But let's actually think about this for a second.

A flat stomach is not the definition of a strong core.

And I honestly think that's something the Pilates industry should be talking about a hell of a lot more.

Your core can be incredibly strong without being flat, defined or remotely resembling the stomach of the person teaching your class. Genetics, body composition, hormones, nutrition and a whole host of other factors influence what your midsection looks like.

Strength is what your body can do. Aesthetic is what your body looks like. They're not the same thing.