Crunchy Harvest Kale Salad

Are you bored with what seem like the same meals week after week? Maybe it’s because we tend to fix what we know and just don’t have the time or the energy to learn a bunch of new stuff. Maybe it’s because we know a few easy recipes and those tend to be our go-tos. Or maybe it’s just that we eat what we grew up eating. Whatever the reason may be, if you feel like it’s time for a change….a healthier change, then let’s chat for a moment about what that may look like for you. If you are like most people out there, you could certainly increase your intake of real whole foods and less of the processed junk. I can always see ways to make improvements in my own nutrition as well. Change isn’t always easy especially if it’s a way of life we have always known. But just because it may be a challenge doesn’t mean that it can’t be well within your reach. And you will likely find that once you adopt a new healthy lifestyle, you’ll love the changes you have made to your diet!

What are real whole foods? We’re talking about stuff that isn’t coming out of a box. These are foods that don’t have a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. This is the stuff we want to gravitate towards, right? But you already knew that, didn’t you? We all know this but putting it into an action plan that we will actually do on a daily and weekly basis (long-term) is another story. This is why I try to share a recipe here and there that I like and that is super easy to prepare.

This salad is loaded with plenty of greens and also some other toppings that may seem untraditional but will have you looking at salads in a completely different light. It ditches the croutons, cheeses, and thick dressings and instead is a fresh look at a fall salad that is so light and delicious but completely satisfying at the same time.

Here is the ingredient list you’ll need to make my Crunchy Harvest Kale Salad…

1) Kale
2) Romaine Lettuce (or green leaf lettuce)
3) Red onion
4) Fresh mandarin oranges (2)
5) Pomegranate
6) Pecans (toasted)
7) 1 t. Toasted sesame oil
8) 1 t. Dijon mustard
9) 1/2 t. Honey
10) Cayenne pepper (don’t knock it until you try it!)

We don’t need to get too specific on the amounts, because we all have different tastes, but here are the basics… I used about half of one romaine heart and approx two cups chopped kale for one serving. I like more kale than romaine, and I like to chop it really fine. I’ll eat more when my salad is chopped rather than left in larger chunks. This may just be personal preference, so feel free to prepare it however you’ll eat it best!

The red onion just adds a little something to this so I love the extra kick but it doesn’t take much so just sprinkle a little on top and go by your own taste as far as how much you want to include.

Peel the mandarin oranges. Divide one to use the slices in the salad and the other one you’ll squeeze the juice out to use in your dressing.

Pomegranates are easy to find right now, but they do take a little time to prep, so this is probably something you’ll want to have ready in advance. Sprinkle however much you like on top. I used about 1/4 c. The part you want are the arils which are the seeds with a little juice sac around them. They are the definition of nature’s candy! AND they are a superfood packed with fiber, protein, potassium, folate and vitamins C and K. Delicious on their own, they are a really sweet addition to this salad (literally!) and are part of the “crunchy” you’re going to love.

Speaking of love, I absolutely love pecans in this salad. I used about 1/4 c. in my salad, so about the same amount of pecans as pomegranate. If pecans aren’t your thing then you can replace with walnuts or slivered almonds if you desire. The pecans, especially when teamed up with the oranges and the pomegranate, remind me of fall. If you have a toaster oven, set it at 350 degrees and toast for just a few minutes. They will burn easily, but you’ll know they are done because you will start to smell that awesome toasty aroma. Just watch them closely.

For the dressing, combine one teaspoon toasted sesame oil with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a half teaspoon of honey (the pomegranate and the orange adds a lot of natural sweetness already to this salad, so you don’t need much honey and could even choose to omit if you desire) and the juice from a mandarin orange. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to complete and your salad world will never be the same.

This salad is comfort food at it’s healthiest. I feel like I’m eating a treat more than health food! It’s the perfect solution to your salad boredom, so I hope you love as much as I do. As I always say, make it your own and if you find ingredients you’ve added that are amazing, feel free to share in the comments so others can try!

Here’s to YOUR health!

Your Grocery List: Making or Breaking Your Goals?

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You have probably heard it said that your health is 20 percent in the gym and 80 percent in the kitchen. As a trainer, I would love to tell you that it’s not true and that you can run off your health woes or lift off your sickness…. but I can’t. Obviously, for me to dedicate my life to being a personal trainer, my true passion is in training. At the same time though, I sincerely want my clients (and anyone else who’s life I touch through this blog) to live full, healthy lives! It just can’t be done without a healthy diet.

We really are what we eat. If we consistently put garbage into our bodies, we will see and feel the effects of that. On the other hand, if we feed our bodies with the nutrients it craves, we will feel those affects as well, and it’s awesome.

I certainly have my share of weaknesses when it comes to junk food, but I have to make sure they don’t become habitual. I love sweets especially homemade, and I love to bake, but if I’m consuming chocolate chip cookies more often than the healthy stuff my body needs, then I will feel the ill effects and reap the consequences of my choices.

The great thing is that there are tons of healthy options out there for whatever you are craving! And there are more ways than ever to have healthy recipes only a click away. Check out some healthy meal and snack recipes and even some healthier dessert options on my Pinterest boards. It’s surprising how great food can taste with some real food for ingredients instead of the processed junk we have grown accustomed to. You may find some snack recipes that use pitted dates instead of heaps of sugar, and you may also find that you like it and didn’t realize healthy eating could be so good (and guiltless!).

Let’s chat for a moment about the food you keep at home, because if we have junk in the house, then we will put junk in our mouths. Maybe a quick look at our typical grocery list will help identify easy ways to make some changes. I know that if I buy potato chips, I will definitely eat them. I know that if I have a shopping list and I make the choice to steer clear of the junk and keep healthy items in my house, those are the things that I will eat. For me, I am no different than most people when it comes to preparing healthy meals. I need recipes that don’t require an enormous list of ingredients. I need recipes that taste good and that I won’t get bored with. I need recipes that my family will love. I need recipes that are EASY and QUICK to prepare. Believe it or not, this doesn’t have to be complicated! You just need to explore the things that you like and try to find recipes that are good to your body in addition to your taste buds. Snoop around online, and try a few things that are easy to prep. It’s likely that you’ll realize this wasn’t as hard as you thought it’d be and it’s delicious too! AND, if you’re like me, I need to choose recipes that won’t break the bank either. It CAN be done!

Old habits die hard. You may be set in your ways. You may be used to eating all your meals out of a box or from the drive thru. But you may have also noticed that your health isn’t what it used to be. You may have noticed that you just don’t feel as good as you used to. And don’t just attribute that feeling to aging. We can all live full and healthy lives without feeling like garbage by the time we hit forty. If you are taking mounds of prescription drugs and just have considered this the new norm and that it’s just part of getting older, think again! Although there is a place for prescription drugs for certain conditions, in general, our bodies are beautifully designed to feel great and to function optimally when we fuel them optimally. Think about this…what are your grocery store staples? If you make a weekly trip to the grocery store, what is always in your cart? What are your must-haves? Part of making a change is to identify what needs changing. If your eating habits are really struggling and you know you need some professional help, perhaps a nutritional expert can help steer you in the right direction if you feel that you need a little push in the beginning. If you’re committed to trying this on your own for now and you really, sincerely want to make some changes, let’s start by changing the way we shop. We have so many options now…more than generations before us ever had! Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Maybe too many options though? Too much convenience has created a culture of dependence on these things, and maybe it’s all we’ve ever known. Ever hear anyone say to shop the perimeter at the grocery store? There is truth to this! All the fresh stuff is there! All the stuff in boxes tends to lurk about in the middle.

I thought it may help to share with you my grocery list staples. These are items I keep at my house at all times, and I never want to run out of them. Some are weekly, like the stuff that needs to be purchased fresh, and some stuff is occasionally, like seeds I keep on hand for my smoothies. I have never claimed to be perfect, but the key here is to make the junk more of a rare treat than a daily one.

Here are items I NEVER want to run out of at my house:

1) Baby Spinach – This goes in my morning smoothie every day. It’s an easy way for me to get in some greens first thing and I don’t even notice it (other than a slight change in the color of my shake!)

2) Broccoli – Steamed, baked, however you like it, it’s packed with nutrients. Did you know it’s a great source of protein, iron, and calcium?! One of my favorite veggies, I always keep on hand.

3) Walnuts – A great source of omega-3s, I throw these in my smoothie every morning as well.

4) Unsweetened Almond Milk – I keep this in my fridge to use for smoothies and usually have some organic soy milk as well. See the recipe for my 6 Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie here!

5) Assorted Frozen Vegetables – I use frozen veggies in soups and stews but also like to keep on hand in case I need before my next trip to the store to buy fresh. Some veggies are actually better to buy frozen if they are out of season.

6) Frozen Blueberries – I love fresh blueberries, but I don’t have them on hand most of the time in my fridge, because they are only really tasty when they are in season. They are packed with nutrients that have been shown to have powerful anti-cancer effects.

7) Bananas – I never let a banana go to waste in my house. When they start to turn, I peel them and break them into two or three chunks to put in a freezer bag and save for smoothies.

8) Sweet Potatoes – I love baked sweet potatoes, and when you bake them, they are so sweet, you don’t need to add butter or sugars to them. They are their own dessert!

9) Flax Seeds and Chia Seeds – Just to clarify, these aren’t one and the same, but I’m putting them both here because I like to use them for add-ins in smoothies and other recipes, so I always have on hand. In case you have a hard time finding in your local store, I’m including links here. Premium Gold Organic Whole Flax Seed and BetterBody Foods Organic Chia Seeds can both be found on Amazon, but there are plenty of options out there, so shop around and take your pick!

10) Black Beans and other bean varieties – I use for a side dish or for use in soups.

11) Diced Tomatoes – When they’re not in season and I can’t pick straight from my own garden, I still keep some frozen that I’ve put away or buy canned to use throughout the winter.

12) Lettuce – Green lettuce is really low in calories but contains an abundance of phytonutrients.

13) Eggs – I don’t eat eggs daily, but I do like hard boiled eggs with my lunch on occasion or mashed hard-boiled egg mixed with hummus and served with a whole grain tortilla is a good lunch or snack option.

14) Grass-fed Beef – I grew up eating beef, and I buy this locally. I love using especially in my chili in the fall and winter.

15) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – It’s so easy to cook and shred to store for meals throughout the week, or to bake and serve with fresh veggies. Plenty of options, so I keep a stash in the deep freeze as well.

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list. I just wanted to list a few items to keep it brief. There are other fruits and veggies that are fresher during various seasons so I buy as they are available. And there are some things I NEED to keep in my house more often that I don’t always.

If you have healthy must-haves that you’d like to share, please comment!

The main point in this is that we eat what we have on hand, so if we keep bags of chips and junk in our homes, we are very likely to eat them. If we keep sliced veggies and whole raw fruits on hand, they will be easy to grab and snack on as well. Write your grocery list in advance and make sure it is full of only healthy options, and then stick to it! You can do this!

Here’s to YOUR health!

6 Ingredient Chicken Tacos! (aka: Your New Favorite Lunch!)

We all have busy lives. We often complain that we don’t have time to eat healthy, that it’s easier to grab a sandwich and chips. In reality, it may be that we just don’t plan ahead sometimes. It happens to all of us! For me it helps to have some super easy favorites ready on stand-by for my weekday lunches. Even better if I can prep ahead on the weekend and just assemble at lunch time. It never fails… if I don’t plan ahead, I will grab whatever is quick and convenient which may not be the healthiest choice I could have made had I only taken a little extra time before my week started to prep.

Who doesn’t love tacos? Hands down, one of my favorite meals. And this may very well be your new favorite go-to lunch! Best part? It’s really, really easy and doesn’t require a list of twenty ingredients.

There are six main ingredients to this shopping list with three extra optional items if you choose.

1) 3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2) Soft corn tortilla shells

3) Fresh romaine lettuce

4) Sliced or chopped avocado

5) Tomato (diced)

6) Red onion (diced)

7) Monterey Jack cheese (shredded) (Optional)

8) Plain Greek yogurt (Optional)

9) Seasoning of your choice (Optional)

That’s IT!!! And there isn’t a lot of work required to prep this meal at all, and let’s be honest, that’s what you’re looking for out of this, right?! Here is the prep you need to do on Sunday if your workweek begins on Monday…

Place all your chicken into a small crock pot. Season if you desire with things such as onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, etc. I always just season to taste and tweak from there.

Cook until meat is fully cooked and you can shred down with two forks. (Check cooking times for your crock pot) You can also use a pressure cooker to get this done in WAY less time. And just like that, chicken is ready for the week! You can, at this time, put in individual containers so it’s ready to grab-n-go with you in your lunch.

While your chicken is cooking, rinse and chop your lettuce, avocado, tomato, and red onion. You can put them in separate containers as well. If you would rather, you can hold off on cutting up your avocado since it will likely start turning a little brown. Sometimes I store my tomato and onion together just so I have fewer containers.

Cheese is optional, because this is tasty without it but good with it, so I’ll leave it up to you. Plain Greek yogurt, if you’ve never tried, is an amazing substitute for sour cream and is great on anything you would use sour cream for. Give it a whirl if you love this topping with your tacos!

And that is it! Warm your shells however you like, assemble, and enjoy! It’s a lunch that I never get bored with, and feel free to make it your own. Sometimes I even slice up my onion and combine with sliced green pepper and cook it with the chicken for more of a fajita feel. Use green or red leaf lettuce instead of the romaine lettuce. Depending on the season, you can even add some fresh veggies from your garden, like orange bell pepper or a mild banana pepper, or maybe some fresh jalapeño. Throw in some fresh herbs such as cilantro. There are plenty of ways to vary this up and still keep it healthy.

Remember, I’ll say it over and over, preparation is key when you’re trying to stay on track nutritionally. So, make plans for the week ahead, and have your groceries purchased for the week in advance. You’d be surprised how much time this may actually end up SAVING you once you get started. If there are certain food items that you use consistently, buy several packages and freeze. I tend to do this with frozen veggies, some fruits, and also meat such as chicken breasts. There are plenty of ways to prep for your week without it taking hours in the kitchen. Time is precious, but so is your health, and if you plan ahead for an awesome lunch that you can not only enjoy but feel good about, your body will thank you!

Hope you love this and hope it’s your new favorite easy AND healthy lunch!

Here’s to YOUR health!

5 Things to Look for in Finding the Right Personal Trainer for YOU

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You’re finally ready! You’ve tried and tried on your own and haven’t seemed to quite get where you want to be in your fitness journey. You’ve researched and you’ve YouTubed and you’ve browsed pins. You’ve found that you’re discouraged and…well…stuck in somewhat of a rut. What to do? You’ve come up with a brilliant idea! You’ll hire a personal trainer and the stars will finally align and pounds will simply melt off. Right? Maybe? This is a huge decision and will certainly require lots of work on your part…and on your trainer’s part! Let’s take a few moments to talk about how you will find the perfect trainer-trainee match, because this will be a relationship like none other. You will trust him/her. You will love him/her. You will hate him/her. You will share life with this person and you may even build a friendship. But above all, you will team up to accomplish your fitness goals, so this dynamic needs to be strong.

My advice to you is don’t go out and just pick the first person you come across when you Google “personal trainer”. Each trainer has his or her own style and each one will have strengths as well as weaknesses. This relationship should be one that you enjoy. It needs to be someone you can learn to trust and work with since it’s someone you’ll be spending time with weekly, and likely, more than just once per week. And it has to be someone who will keep you safe as you train, because there are some risks that go along with beginning a new fitness regimen.

A personal trainer can help you in whatever stage of your journey you are in. Maybe you’ve never worked out a day in your life. Your trainer can help you through the basics. Maybe you’re experienced in the gym or you’re an athlete training for the next competition. A trainer can work with you to specifically meet the goals you are trying to accomplish. Whatever your reasons and whatever stage you are in, you are in control, and if you are considering hiring a personal trainer, make sure they meet the criteria that is needed to get you where you want to be safely and effectively.

Here are some things to consider when you begin your search…

1) Do they have the credentials?

This may not sound like a big deal, but it’s huge. There are loads of certifications out there that anyone can snag by a quick trip online with a credit card. Appropriate certifications require extensive training and testing to acquire the coveted title of “Certified Personal Trainer”. (And while I’m at it, the same goes for if you are searching for a nutritionist or dietician.)

Here are some big names to look for in the world of personal training that are highly respected…

1) American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
2) American Council on Exercise (ACE)
3) National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
4) National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
5) International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)

2) Are they CPR certified?

All the certifications I listed above required a hands-on CPR/AED certification that is current. It just makes sense. In this industry, a certification like this is essential anyway just to keep basic safety at the forefront.

Seems like a no-brainer, and if you’ve already sought out someone with one of the certifications listed above, then you’re covered. But basic safety is always at the front of my mind as a trainer, and this is an easy step I can take to make sure I am ready in case of an emergency. Plan for the best and prepare for the worst.

3) Do they customize?

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Not only are individual goals unique, but the individuals themselves are unique. What works for one person, may not work for the next and vice versa. It’s easy to churn out workouts that you’ve looked up online and copied, but it’s a whole different story to actually spend time customizing for a specific person.

In addition, your trainer needs to accommodate your life. If you woke up with a stiff neck, or you tripped and busted your knee in your driveway, your trainer needs to be able to restructure your workout accordingly and sometimes on the fly if a certain exercise just isn’t working for you or causes discomfort. Let me clarify. Some discomfort is okay and even expected (and we like it!), but know the difference between good and bad pain. Good pain is the kind where your muscles fatigue and it’s uncomfortable because it’s tiring and exhausting. That’s okay! And, that’s where the good stuff happens! Bad pain is a sudden twinge or sharp pain. This is the kind of pain in which an exercise needs to stop immediately. Your trainer needs to have ongoing conversation with you to be sure you understand the difference. Great communication in this relationship is essential.

4) What is their experience?

As in any other career or hobby, experience breeds knowledge. We each learn from past experiences. New trainers will bring with them personal experiences and fresh-from-the-books knowledge. Veteran trainers will bring personal experiences and the experiences of working with potentially hundreds of clients before you.

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Through the years, I’ve grown as a trainer, and I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I’ve worked with several pregnancies, post-physical therapy clients, clients just coming back from back surgeries or knee replacements. I’ve worked with teenagers training for their high school sport to improve speed and improve their vertical jump. I’ve worked with those moving on from high school sports into the world of college athletics. I’ve worked with the elderly and everyone in between. From these, I’ve learned and it’s made me a better trainer.

But I was also new once too, and you can learn a lot from a brand new trainer as well. Just be sure the credentials are there, and make sure you are completely comfortable with each other throughout this journey. And, don’t be afraid to speak up. You know your body best, and as I mentioned before, communication is key!

5) Who are their clients?

Know anyone they train? Gotten any referrals? Stalked them online? Treat this like a job interview and check out their profile online. See if you can schedule a consultation with them. I feel like the consultation/assessment time is not only a chance to discuss goals and get measurements, but it’s also a chance to really get to know each other and get a feel for what a client expects. In order for me to customize workouts, this time together is extremely helpful, and I’ve found that it sets people at ease as well.

So, are you ready to take that next step? Typically, with the year coming to a close, this is a good time to start doing some homework if this is something you are considering. Don’t wait until the first of the year when gym traffic is at an all-time high and it’s likely that most trainer’s schedules are jam packed with new clients.

Take some time to do this right and the results will show if you are both willing to do the work. Chase after your fit, and your trainer will push you to get there.

Here’s to YOUR health!

Strong

Take Back Your Health Starting With These 5 Simple Steps!

For many people, okay probably MOST people, change is just plain hard. We get into routines and habits, stuck in ruts. The days, weeks, months and then years pass. We find ourselves saying things like “I’ll start next week” or “Tomorrow won’t be as busy. I’ll start then”. Or you finally make the decision to do it right this time and blow it eating garbage out of the nearest vending machine, and frustration overtakes what you know to be right. Thoughts like “Well, I’ve already screwed up. I might as well just call this whole day a loss” enter our minds. After trying time and time again, the end of yet another year rolls around and well, it’s the holiday season, so “Might as well just start after the first of the year” or “There’s too much temptation, and it’s just too hard” is what we think to ourselves or often say out loud to our friends who often agree with us and encourage us to make a New Year’s Resolution and start then. Next year will be different. Next year will be better. Next year….

We know it doesn’t make sense. We know it’s not rational to think like this, but we all do it! What makes us think that next year will be different? The fact of the matter is that unless we put an action plan in place and resolve to do things a different way, we are likely to start strong but then slip back into the same habits we have always struggled with. Perhaps we need to rethink our motivation, rethink our “why”, regain a fresh sense of HOPE. Because isn’t that what this is really all about? If we have lost our “why” then we find ourselves kind of lost and feeling hopeless about our fitness and health. We talk ourselves into thinking thoughts like we’re just too far gone to change or we’re just too out of shape, too overweight, too weak, too old. It’s just not true! They say that the truth hurts, but in this case, it’s the lies we speak to ourselves that do all the hurting.

What will you do this time, and NOW, to find a fresh sense of motivation? If your days have turned into years and you feel like you are a lost cause, then it’s time to start TODAY, because no matter what lies you have fed to yourselves for all this time, the fact is that you are worth whatever it takes to regain your strength, your confidence, your “why”, your health.

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Take a few minutes (or longer if you need it) right now to really consider your goals, both long term and short term. Write them down. Every single one of them. Now, think about your motivation for making a change. What is your “why”? Are you needing to change your nutrition (or lack thereof) because you just feel like crap all the time? It is because you’re taking handfuls of pills every day? Are you making more trips to the doctor than you are to the gym? Are you wanting to start a regular exercise routine because you’re tired all the time or because your joints ache or just because you know it’ll make you feel more energetic? Are you deciding to eat right and exercise, because you sincerely know that you are in serious danger of an early death? Is your motivation your family, kids, grandkids? What is your source of internal motivation? This all has to be for a reason or the change won’t seem worth the sacrifice to our daily cravings or our busy schedule. So, I want to challenge you to contemplate these things as you begin to move forward. For the results to be different this day, week or year, the process needs to be different. It’s too easy to stay the same.

Okay, now that you’ve considered your goals and your “why” for taking this next step, here are five simple ways to make daily changes that will steer you in the right direction. I often tell my clients that looking at the big picture is important, but it can be overwhelming if that’s all we look at. Those little things, the little every day things make a tremendous difference, so let’s start there! If you are committing to doing this right, to a new healthy start, consider today your “New Year”. Let’s do this!

1) Drink more water.

Stomach growling? Can’t wait to find the nearest bag of chips or donuts someone left in the break room? You might be mistaking hunger for boredom or thirst. Grab a big glass of water and drink up. Then, decide if you are truly hungry. And guess what? Besides just making you feel better, hydration has loads of perks including beautiful, healthy, younger looking skin!

2) Take ten minutes to exercise.

Usually the excuses for not exercising are universal. If I have found myself at the end of the day exhausted in bed and realize I failed to get in a workout, it’s because I “just didn’t have time”. The hard truth is that I didn’t make exercise a priority in my day. And most of the time, it’s not that we’re not doing important things. I have plenty to do in my day that can fill it up without exercise. “Mom”-ing, work, cooking, laundry, balancing my checkbook, dishes, projects around the house…. The list goes on and on. So, we have to look at this differently sometimes in the beginning. Let’s simplify this. Find ten minutes to just take a brisk walk if you are just starting out. Or hop on an exercise bike for those ten minutes. Or do some strength training. The idea is to make exercise a priority even if it’s just for that ten minutes starting out. I promise you will feel better at the end of that ten minutes, and once this has become a habit, you can build on it from there. It’s a start! It’s true that you’ll never regret a workout. The things we regret are the things we often don’t do.

3) Prepare in advance for cravings.

You may kick off the day strong. You may have nailed breakfast and feel like nothing can stop you. Great! But when afternoon hits and you’re wanting to dive into the candy jar at work, you need to have a plan in place, because the odds are pretty good that whatever is there is what we will go for. Convenience. That’s why vending machines are so popular, and they’re everywhere. Know your weaknesses as well as your strengths. We know ourselves better than anyone, so even as you read this, you know what can tend to derail you. Pack snacks! An apple with a little natural peanut butter or almond butter. Some veggies with hummus. A smoothie you mixed up that morning. Drink a big glass of water with your snack. Even if it doesn’t sound as good as that candy bar on day one, munching on your healthy snack and drinking some water will likely kill that craving, and what’s even better is that you’ve given your body real nutrients that it needed.

4) Ditch the soft drinks.

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You knew this one was coming, didn’t you? They’re not good for us. We know that. Sometimes they just sound so good, right? There is a difference between an occasional soft drink and a soft drink habit. And if you’re thinking it’s fine because it’s diet or because there are zero calories, etc., think again. Still, it’s an easy way to make a huge difference in your results just by switching to water only and save the soda for that rare occasion rather than a daily drink.

5) Find ways to make exercise a part of everyday life.

You’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again. Take the stairs instead of the elevator when you can. Park a little farther away anywhere you go so you have to take a few more steps. I know it’s not convenient, but it doesn’t require much extra time, and it’s getting you a little bit more activity. Think of some other “out of the box” ways to get in some exercise. Maybe you work on your balance by standing on one leg ten seconds at a time while you’re doing dishes. Or maybe while you’re waiting on dinner to finish cooking, you do a wall sit or some body weight squats. Plank during commercials. There are lots of little ways to incorporate activity that can make a big difference over time.

Change has to start somewhere, and if it’s been a long, hard struggle for you, know that you’re not alone! Resolve to approach things differently this time and make this your year! You are in control and you have all the tools that you need to chase after it. Make this priority and find ways to keep your motivation and drive when the new fades (because it will). Prepare in advance for all the potential setbacks, and this time WILL be different.

Here’s to YOUR health!

nathan-dumlao-608723-unsplash — Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

5 Reasons to Start Your New Year’s Resolution(s) NOW!

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Ever feel like your fitness/health journey is like an endless staircase? …Or perhaps, more accurately, like a roller coaster? It’s all over the place with lots of ups and downs and maybe some loop-de-loops? Do you find that coming up with and starting a New Year’s Resolution is relatively easy? …But keeping it is a whole different story?

If this has become a common theme for years for you, it doesn’t have to be anymore! Resolutions are easy to make. We can make them all day long. It’s coming up with an action plan, a realistic action plan and carrying it through that is the hard part. This is what separates the talkers from the doers and the wishes from the realities. As a personal trainer/group fitness instructor, I have seen many resolutions discussed, reviewed, started with enthusiasm only to be shoved to the wayside when the new wears off. Here is why September is the new January!

1) It’s Not Winter Yet – Don’t Start Hibernating!

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Do you find that when cooler weather rolls around and the days get shorter, you tend to want to hole up inside, curled up on the couch with your favorite blanket and a warm cup of coffee…hot cocoa… (insert favorite beverage here)? For many of us, cold days and fewer hours of daylight causes a mood shift or the wintertime blues. But it doesn’t have to be the new norm for you…not this time.

Getting into some healthier routines now while the weather is warmer and it is staying lighter longer, will help set the tone for months down the road when you don’t want to get out. What I’m saying is that HABIT truly is what keeps us going when the motivation may have died, and it’s essential to establish some healthy habits that will be in place when the new wears off of your shiny new resolution.

Habits are those things you do almost without thinking, because they have become a part of your lifestyle. It takes a little time to establish a habit (some say 21 days). I tend to agree with this for the most part although it may vary some from person to person. Whatever it takes to kick in some true motivation now, do it! Work out with a friend. Set a short-term goal with a reward tied to the end when you reach the first goal. I always liked the idea of treating myself with a new shirt to workout in or a new pair of shoes. Buy a gym membership! Often a financial investment will get us there because we’ve made a sacrifice to our bank account!

The idea is to figure out what it takes to develop a sense of urgency for YOU. Each person is unique. I tell each of my clients that I prepare each workout just for them. I can’t plan their workout like I would the next person, because even if their goals are the same, what works for them may not work for someone else. You need to set some time aside to really look at what you truly plan to accomplish and find a way to get on it immediately before the winter weather sets a different tone for your day.

2) Big Goals Take Time

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If you looked in the mirror this summer, and knew you weren’t quite where you hoped you’d be by swimsuit season, it is likely because you just ran out of time. If your goal is to drop 50 lbs by May, and you’re kicking things off in January, although it’s not impossible, it’s an aggressive goal. Life sure would be easier on you if you look at it as an endurance event and not a sprint.

If you tackle your summer body every year in January and then find that the progress just isn’t where you thought it would be come May, get busy now and establish some much-needed routine into your busy schedule. We all are blessed with 24 beautiful hours in each day, and time is precious, so use this time to write down your goals. Make them goals that you can measure instead of a vague “I want to lose some weight and feel better in three months”. Be specific about this and make sure it is an attainable goal. If needed, hire some professional help. A trainer can help you map out your goals and make sure they are not unrealistic for the timeframe you have in place. Get a dietician/nutrition expert involved. Exercise is awesome (obviously, I’m a HUGE fan), but your decisions in the kitchen can make or break all the hard work you’ve put in at the gym. Besides just the wealth of knowledge a professional can give you, it also provides you with accountability to help you stay on track toward your goals.

3) Go Into the Holidays Prepared

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I’ve found that many people choose to start their new lifestyle after the holiday season “because I know I’ll just blow it anyway and I can save myself the guilt of failing”. Ouch. Start your food journal now. Write down everything that goes into your body. Yes, EVERYTHING. Although this is a huge pain, you really will begin to see what your bad habits really are, even if you think you already know. If you’re not a pen and paper kind of person, there are loads of apps out there to help you! Maybe your habits aren’t as bad as you think or maybe they are worse. But you need to know how to tackle your weaknesses and enhance your strengths. With this in plain sight, you can approach one area at a time to achieve small victories on the way. Maybe just start with cutting out one of the four sodas you’re currently drinking each day and replacing with water. Then, another, then another. Maybe it’s time to start working on some meal prep for your lunch, because you’ve noticed you’re grabbing a burger and fries on the go way too frequently. Maybe you need to start cutting out your pre-bedtime junk you dive into nightly. Little steps make all the difference on your way to the larger goal.

When the holidays do roll around, you can set some reasonable limits so you don’t feel deprived but so that you also don’t destroy everything you are working towards. Starting now will help you stay resilient through the holidays and you’ll come out of it feeling like a champ!

4) The Gym is a Zoo in January!

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We’ve all been there. You kick off the new year with a weight loss goal, toning goal, muscle-building goal, etc. You lace up your new shoes and head to the gym first thing January 1st to find that A LOT of other people had the same idea. Now, you find that you’re waiting to get to equipment. Treadmills and ellipticals are full. You may be so frustrated that you just turn around and leave. Not the way you hoped to start your resolution.

Although the crowds, sadly, die down after merely a couple of weeks, it can still be a real problem especially with our busy schedules. You may not have an hour or two to spend at the gym, so you don’t have time to stand and wait around. However, in September the gym traffic is MUCH lower! If you are intimidated and overwhelmed when you step into the gym for the first time, this is your chance to have your pick of equipment and a time to test it out or better yet, ask for help if you need it! Don’t be afraid to ask! Learning to utilize the equipment properly that you have at your disposal will help you immensely in your journey to injury-free success!

5) Your Health Can’t Wait

It’s so easy to keep pushing it to the back burner, because change is, let’s be honest, hard. It’s not a walk in the park to make a lifestyle change that you plan to keep forever. However, you NEED this! Your family, your friends, they need you, and there is only one YOU. We all know, in the back of our minds, the right decisions to make and that we need daily exercise, to drink more water, cut out sugar, etc, and on and on and on. But, we tend to look at it irrationally and cave to our immediate cravings rather than the long-term results. Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. is at an all time high, and this often is PREVENTABLE and many times if caught early enough, it’s also REVERSIBLE. Choose to make a healthy change today and build on it, so it won’t seem quite as shocking when you flip your world upside down in January. Baby steps on the way to the larger plan help you to achieve little victories on the way, and that’s a BIG deal. Yay, you!

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So, here as September is inching to a close, let me be the first to say “Happy New Year!” and “Here’s to YOUR health!”