Meal planning and prep aren't just about convenience; they're an investment in your well-being. So, take control of your kitchen, conquer your cravings, and power your way to a healthier, happier you!
Read MoreAs women, we are bombarded with information about what we should and shouldn't eat. From the latest fad diet to the newest superfood, it can be overwhelming to navigate the world of nutrition.
Read MoreAs women, we have all been there at some point in our lives - feeling stuck in a cycle of self-doubt and negative self-talk. It can be an overwhelming feeling that makes us question our worth and capabilities. But what if I told you that consistent healthy habits can help break this cycle and boost your confidence?
Read MoreMaintaining healthy habits 100% of the time can seem near impossible. Many diets fail because we aren’t able to stay in a state of strict rule and restriction for too long - we “fall off” the plan and end up back where we started.
The key is to set yourself up with healthy habits that are SIMPLE so you can repeat them daily and they feel EFFORTLESS. If you can do this you will enjoy more energy, improved sleep, better moods and be more resilient to stress. You will feel better all around!
Here are my top 5 tips for effortless health habits.
Eat a protein rich breakfast
Having a breakfast with 20-30grams of protein will keep you full, fuel your muscles, balance your blood sugar and reduce cravings. Some great options are smoothies with protein powder or eggs & veggies.
Drink water
We all need at minimum 1/2 our body weight in ounces/day. For most people this is 2-3L of water. Are you getting enough? Having sufficient water increases energy, helps reduce cravings, and supports healthy digestion among many other things.
Plan snacks
Snacks are where many people struggle. We don’t want to snack frequently, but we do want a snack mid afternoon to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner. Preparation is key to making this happen. As with breakfast you want to ensure you are putting together a protein rich snack with around 20grams of protein. I recommend always having one or two on hand so you are prepared!
Some good options - boiled egg & raw veggies, protein smoothie, greek yogurt with berries, or protein bars.
Most people find that when they do incorporate the afternoon snack their evening cravings go down and they have much better energy in the later part of the day.
Add veggies to every meal
Veggies add a lot of nutrients and volume to your meals. An ideal meal with have half a plate of non-starchy veggies - things like spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts, eggplant
I always recommend trying different ways to get them in - grill, roast, toss them in salads or smoothies, stir-fry them or add them to omelettes.
Enjoy your favourite foods
Food is meant to be enjoyed. Don’t make yourself a list of forbidden foods. Not only does this rob you of a lot of joy, it also tends to backfire. When we put foods on a forbidden list it can actually lead us to over indulge in the food when we have the opportunity. If we allow ourselves to eat all foods then you will notice you are more able to eat a reasonable portion of cake or candy and enjoy it versus feeling like you need to “eat it all” because it is forbidden and it’s your one opportunity.
Those are my top 5 health habits. Work to incorporate them into your days and I promise you will notice a huge difference!
Spring is prime “detox” season, but what are you actually detoxing?
Your body does a great job detoxing each and everyday so what are you really doing the detox for? Your kidney, liver, and lungs handle a lot of the detoxification for your body.
Some detoxes can have a negative impact on your overall health. Let’s review 3 of the popular detoxes out there.
Juice cleanses
Drink juice for days, but eat no food. Doing this can make your body think it is starving and you can start breaking down your own muscle. It also eliminates fibre which is quite critical to your body’s own detoxing system of elimination. Consider the high amount of sugar in most juices and you blood sugar and energy will be all over the place.
Fasting
If you don’t eat your body needs to get energy from somewhere and like a juice cleanse it will start breaking down your muscle for energy. It can also slow down your metabolism as your body tries to conserve energy. This is why some people gain weight post cleanse as their metabolism is slower so when they start eating again they don’t burn off the food the same way.
Elimination Diets
There is a time and place for this absolutely depending on symptoms and conditions. However, just cutting out all dairy, meat, fat, wheat or any other food group from your diet and not being mindful with what you are replacing it with can cause a host of issues.
So with this knowledge how can we look to support our own detoxification processes;
Drink lots of water
Eliminate processed foods that are full of chemicals and additives
Eat lots of greens
Ensure you are getting enough fibre
Move your body
Simple and sustainable.
We hear a lot about mindfulness in all areas of our lives these days, but have you ever considered mindful eating?
In our fast paced lives we often grab food because it’s time to eat, we are stressed or we are bored. Often we aren’t even thinking about it and many times eating while working at our desk or in front of the tv.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating is basing our meals on physical cues such as our bodies feeling of hunger, versus emotional ones. It is about allowing yourself to become aware of the positive opportunities that are available through food selection. It has been associated with lower body weights, a greater sense of well-being and fewer symptoms of eating disorders. Mindful eating can transform your relationship with food.
It is a practice of eating slower and with intention. It is about noticing responses to the food we eat whether positive or negative without judgement. It’s about becoming aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to help guide you. The true form is eating in complete silence and paying attention to the texture and taste of each bite. This isn’t realistic in our lives, but there are still ways we can incorporate it to reap the benefits.
Eating mindfully involves:
Acknowledging that there is no right or wrong way to eat
Directing your attention to eating when you are having a snack or meal
Recognizing how you make choices that support health and well-being
Promoting balance, choice, and acceptance.
Why mindful eat?
There are a lot of benefits in eating mindfully. Studies have reported that eating mindfully can reduce physiological distress such as depression, anxiety, stress, and eating behaviours including binge eating. Mindful eating has also resulted in weight loss in overweight and obese people.
Rather than focusing on restricting calories, mindful eating provides a way to improve the body’s natural ability to control an eating behaviour. It can help change unwanted eating patterns.
Ways to incorporate mindful eating
1. Eat slower – Take time to savour each bite and enjoy the flavours. Slowing down your pace of eating is one of the healthiest things you can do. You will more than likely notice when you are full, your food will digest better because you are chewing more and most likely you will enjoy the flavours more. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register being full so slow down, take lots of bites and put your fork down between bites to slow your meal down.
2. Listen to your body – Is your stomach growling? Is your energy low? Too often we eat for emotional reasons of stress, boredom, anger and don’t listen to our body for the actual hunger cues it gives us. Also start to become aware of the effects of eating out of boredom or sadness or overeating – how does it make you feel mentally and physically?
3. Turn off the phone and TV – Make mealtime a technology free time. Spend the time talking and enjoying your food. Just focus on eating and the meal in front of you, don’t multi-task while eating.
4. Know your food – Understand what you are eating and where it came from. This helps your relationship with food and may help make healthier choices as well. If you think about something that came fresh from a farm versus chemicals in packaged foods you are likely to make a different choice.
I challenge you to give mindful eating a try for a week and notice any changes. Are you listening to your satiety cues better? Are you making healthier food choices? Are you eating less for emotional reasons?
Keep at it and if you notice that you might need some support reach out!
Energy – we all seem to be on a quest for more energy.
It’s no surprise – we spend our days on autopilot – go, go, go and often running on not much other than caffeine and adrenaline. Right now many of us have just come off of juggling “virtual school” and work at home which certainly added a whole new element to life.
Most days my energy is good, but then there are days when I feel it dragging and it certainly makes for harder days when this happens. If you are running your life on empty, know that there are changes you can make to improve it.
I consider 4 areas of our life to be critical to our energy & vitality.
1. Nutrition & Hydration
2. Exercise
3. Sleep
4. Stress & Resilience
If you are looking for more energy in your life, it is time to consider each of these areas.
Nutrition & Hydration
We are quite literally what we eat. Our cells are made from what we eat and we gain energy from the food we put in our body. If we are eating lots of processed foods we are not going to feel fantastic. Focus on eating whole foods, lots of fruits & veggies, minimal grains and reduce sugar.
Most of us are also dehydrated and that leads to reduced energy. If you are feeling sluggish ensure that you are drinking ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example – if you weight 150 pounds that is 75 ounces of water, which converts to 9 cups of water/day.
Exercise
Our bodies we made to move. Life has become very sedentary for many people and this has resulted in reductions in energy and vitality. Exercise releases necessary endorphins and makes us feel good and energized. If you don’t currently exercise start small – start with a 20 minute walk each day a build from there. You will notice such an improvement in mood and energy if you get moving.
Sleep
This is a key component to our overall health. I see far too many people who are struggling and only getting 4 hours of sleep a night – this simply isn’t enough. If we aren’t sleeping well we are never going to have great energy. If you are getting less than 7-9 hours of sleep per night it’s time to look at what’s going on. Are you staying up binge watching Netflix too late? Do you fall asleep but wake up wired around 2 or 3am? Can you not fall asleep? All of these scenarios are fixable, but we need to get to the root cause of what’s going on. Sacrificing on sleep is never the answer and can lead to disease if it continues for too long.
Stress & Resilience
We all have stress and there will always be stress. Having a way to manage and deal with stress is key for that stress not to have a huge negative impact on our resilience and health. Finding a stress management practice that works for you is a priority – journaling, meditation, breathing, mindful movement – it doesn’t matter which one it is, but it is necessary to have one. When stress levels remain high for too long our cortisol hormone remains elevated and this leads to disrupted sleep, inflammation and causes our body to hold onto excess weight.
Everyone has a different weakest link and it is important to start there and then work through all four to ensure that healthy habits exist in all areas to best support you. In my Vitality Formula program this is exactly what we will do. Everyone starts at a different point, with a different focus. Just because the 4 areas are the same for everyone, everyone is individual. It is the individual focus and accountability that is key to success. I work with people individually for 3 months to strengthen all areas that need to be in a priority sequence. At the end of it, happiness, energy & vitality are all increased!
If you are interested in the program click here The Vitality Formula
“I believe that when women simplify health & wellness they can build strong bodies & minds so they can chase their dreams!”
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