I just went to Olive Garden for my daughter’s birthday (her fave place) and while ordering any entrees can throw you off any diet you are on, your plan doesnt have to go awry if you stick with their salad and soup (skip the breadsticks if you can!)

And if going there is too tempting then make their soup at home.  I am pretty positive you will think this soup came from Olive Garden’s kitchen.  Give it a try and this recipe makes enough to serve a dinner party of 10-12 plus more for anyone who wants seconds! 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onion diced small
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini (skin on)
• 1/2 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1/2 large stalk celery
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans (15 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (15 oz) great northern or small white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (fresh for more aromatics while it cooks)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup small whole grain shell pasta

Measure olive oil into a large stock pot and heat on medium and saute the next 5 ingredients for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions become see-through.

Add the vegetable broth, drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water and spices to the pot.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the spinach leaves and the pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

ENJOY!

You just plan your day accordingly.

It’s an all-day, every day mindset.  I don’t just think about fitness and nutrition when I’m working out or eating a meal.  It is all inclusive in everything I do.  I may have to wake up earlier on a day when I know 5am will be the only chance I get to work out.  (Believe me that’s not often because I love my sleep!)

Below are tips from myself and from people I work with who are VERY fit and work out at least 6 days a week.  These are not difficult things to incorporate into your day but they are probably things you’re not doing now.

1.  Make sure water is next to you all day and drink from it often.  Water must be your drink of choice.

2.  View exercise as a pleasure and privilege, not a burden or chore.  There are people in wheelchairs who wish they could move and do new things.  Always think of the results you will see with every workout you complete.

3.  Think twice before deciding what to eat and why, making sure that it is healthy and will provide you good nutrition, fill you up, and give you long-term energy.   This is so important.  For example, there is no nutritional value in corn therefore, it provides no nutrients and no satisfaction of feeling full.  Another example is diet soda.  There are no calories and there’s nothing in that can that your body needs NOR wants!

4.  Plan your meals according to your planned exercise activity that day.  Don’t just have a cheeseburger and then tell yourself you can run it off on the treadmill later that evening.  Don’t be tempted by your hunger, your present mood, emotion, or the company you’re keeping.

5.  Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excessive calories, even if they are “fat-free” and high protein will turn to excess weight!  No matter what the latest fad diet, extra calories equals extra weight!   Read more here for more nutritional tips.

6.  Limit caffeine and exposure to even secondhand smoke.  That may sound silly but secondhand smoke will hurt your lungs especially lungs that are not used to smoking at all.  Why challenge those lungs when you’ll need them strong and ready  for your next run, or your next challenging workout.

7.  Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.

8.  Keep a journal of what you’re actually eating.  YES this includes the last couple of bites of macaroni and cheese that your child didn’t finish or that little cookie you had at work, AND all your snacking!  Also, read the ingredients on everything you put in your mouth!  If something has 45 ingredients in it then you shouldn’t be eating it.  Keep your meals to 6-7 ingredients total (4 oz chicken, 1 sweet potato and 1 1/2 cups of your fave vegetable = 3 ingredients).  The less your body has to digest, the quicker it will be converted in to energy.

9.  Enjoy an occasional (once a week) “unhealthy” treat, but never take an “unhealthy” week or unhealthy vacation.   Work out on your vacations.  When I went to Hawaii I could not WAIT to run on the beach in the mornings.  If you don’t want to pack weights for obvious reasons then look for a hotel that has a gym.  Run on the treadmill for 20-30 min and then use whatever machines they might have for another 30 min without taking more than a minute of rest inbetween.

10.  Savor the feeling of accomplishment you have after completing an intense workout. Remember that feeling and use it to motivate you when you don’t feel like exercising.

11.  Work out with someone and recruit others who desire to feel better and have more energy. Have a neighbor who walks every morning? Ask if you can join in!  Accountability is motivation!

12.  Switch up your routines and learn new ways and new techniques for exercising.   If you have a favorite sport do it on your rest day or depending the exertion level, trade that for your normal cardio workout every now and then.

13.  Avoid monotony by using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music.

14.  Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.

15.  Invest in the right tools—good shoes, a health club membership, a portable MP3 player or iPod, fitness equipment, a new series of DVDs, etc.

16.  Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6 days a week. If you’re eating right and exercising 6 days a week it will feel strange on day 7 to not get up and move or do something!

17.  Don’t compare your body to others. Instead, work to be your OWN personal best.

18.  If your diet is unbalanced, take daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health.

19.  Gradually progress to take your exercise to new levels of intensity and make them more and more challenging to avoid your body plateauing.   If you can now do, let’s say, 25 (real and not girly) push ups when before you couldn’t even do 4 or 5 consider getting push up bars that allow you to go deeper and work even more muscles.

20.  Create an exercise schedule the day before, instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to “find” the time.

21.  Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, and not a number on a scale.  I only step on to the scale at my doctor’s office!

22.  Remember that no matter how hard you’re working out, if you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.

23.  Remove all tempting foods from your house.  If you have kids, show them healthy foods that are just as satisfying.  My kids loved all the junk foods but it’s not good habits for them either having that stuff laying around.

24.  Get adequate amounts of sleep.  Before you roll your eyes, remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.  You will definitely be tired by the end of your day!

25.  Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.

Remember 21 days to create a new habit.  Just give your new journey 21 days and by then you will have figured out how to keep these good habits going.  And even after years have gone by of your new lifestyle you will find different ways of doing things that WORK for YOU!

Message me with your questions.  I enjoy helping others achieve their personal best and I can help you too!  On Facebook I offer recipes like these, daily tips like these and accountability posts if you want them! 

2. Consume whole foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar, such as lean protein sources (lean beef, chicken, fish, and whey protein), fruits & vegetables (oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, carrots, nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts), and whole grains.

3. Eat low-glycemic carbohydrates such as vegetables, whole-wheat products and oatmeal instead of refined processed carbohydrates which usually come in a box or a bag.

4. Consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Fiber will help satisfy hunger pangs as well as control insulin and blood sugar levels which tend to promote fat storage.

5. Eat some type of lean protein at each meal. Protein helps to satisfy hunger and provide the necessary building blocks to maintain lean body mass while losing body fat.

6. Consume adequate amounts of healthy fat foods such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, Omega-3 fortified eggs, or other Omega-3 products. Healthy fats are great antioxidants as well as help with brain function and many other essential processes that take place in the body on a daily basis. Essential Fatty Acids also help prevent certain diseases. To guarantee you’re consuming enough Omega-3 supplement your diet with EFA’s.

7. Eat 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day to meet your micronutrient needs. Vegetables also contain a good amount of fiber and help to control appetites and curb hunger. Additionally, Shakeology provides the power-packed nutrition of 70 whole foods. You get your vegetables, greens, and fruits in a convenient shake.

8. Consume Green Tea or Water instead of calorie-filled drinks such as soft drinks. Green Tea has many health benefits and you should be drinking 1ml of non-caffeinated fluid for every calorie that you consume. This works out between (8-12) 8oz glasses of Green Tea or Water a day.

9. Balance your fat intake for the day. One-third should come from saturated fats, 1/3 from monounsaturated fats, and 1/3 from polyunsaturated fats. Again, ensure you’re consuming antioxidant-rich Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids by incorporating EFA’s into your nutritional plan.

10. Consistent fat loss requires good habits. If you want to create good habits, then you need plan. Therefore, map out your meals every day and follow them. If you follow your plan everyday for 2-3 weeks, you will form habits that become part of your daily routine and part of your life.

11. Incorporate “superfoods” into your meal plan on a daily basis. Some examples are salmon, low-fat plain yogurt, tomatoes, spinach, mixed berries, whole oats, mixed nuts, olive oil, flax seeds(or flax meal), green tea, and various beans. Many of the super nutrition found in these “superfoods” are also found in Shakeology.

12. Keep total fat intake under 30% for the day. This can easily be accomplished by avoiding “extra” fats such as butter, sour cream, mayonnaise… This doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate these items, just use them sparingly and avoid adding them to foods whenever possible.

13. EXERCISE! Yes, you can lose weight just by changing your eating habits. But very few people succeed long-term -and it takes much longer to lose fat -when they don’t exercise. And something most people don’t realize is, just how critical ingesting the research-proven Protein to Carbohydrate ratio is to optimizing the results of your workout efforts.

14. Record what you eat and drink. You will be amazed by what you find. Keeping a food journal is critical to your success because you need it to evaluate and analyze your current eating patterns. If your fat loss efforts are stagnant, the answer can usually be found in your food journal.

15. Follow the 90% rule. If you can follow your plan 90% of the time, you will soon see unwanted fat melt off your body. However, if you find yourself breaking these rules more than 90% of the time, your chances of failing increase significantly.

While some people do have an iron will, and are good at resisting temptation and making good choices, that is not true for most of us!  This is where packing your own delicious and healthy lunch can come necessary and will prevent that time of day from ever being an issue.

Since time is always an issue, here are 5 quick lunch recipes that you can make in 10 minutes or less before you head off to work and take with you.

One quick note is that many of these recipes call for pre-cooked chicken breasts, as this can be a HUGE timesaver. In a large glass dish, cook chicken breasts that have been cut in half (so they are half as thick) or chopped at about 350°F for approximately 20 minutes, or until done.

To retain moisture, cover dish with tin foil.  Season these breasts to taste with sea salt, garlic powder, Montreal chicken seasoning, or anything you like prior to cooking.

1.    Chicken, Pesto & Guacamole Wrap: This is a quick and delicious wrap that is loaded with healthy monounsaturated fats, vegetables, protein, and quality carbs.  You can make this in less than 5 minutes!

  Ingredients:
•    1 cooked chicken breast, chopped and seasoned to taste
•    1 sprouted-grain or whole-grain wrap
•    1-2 large handfuls baby spinach
•    1/4 cup chopped cucumbers
•    2 tbsp basil evoo pesto
•    2 tbsp guacamole
•    1 plum or other small piece of fruit

Directions: Evenly spread pesto onto wrap. Lay spinach on top in an even layer.  Then lay down chicken breast on top of spinach.  Spread guacamole on top of chicken breast and toss in diced cucumbers.

Enjoy with carrots and hummus or other produce of choice.  Makes 1 serving for men, and 2 for women.

2.    Spinach, Chicken & Feta Salad: This is a quick and delicious salad that is loaded with protein, vegetables, monounsaturated fats, and blood sugar-controlling vinegar.

Ingredients:
•    1 chicken breast, chopped and seasoned to taste
•    2 cups baby spinach
•    ½ cup red onion, chopped
•    1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•    1 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
•    2 tbsp feta cheese
•    4 large kalamata olives (optional)
•    ¼ cup black beans (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients together to make this delicious salad!

For some people, salads don’t seem to hold them over as long as other meals, so adding ¼ cup of black beans can add a small amount of starchy carbs and fiber to keep you fuller, longer. Makes 1 serving.

3.    Tuna Salad Sandwich: Tuna salad is usually made from regular mayonnaise (which is made with low-quality vegetable oils) and higher-mercury tuna.  Making it yourself allows you to use a mayonnaise made from healthier oils and wild-caught tuna that is lower in mercury.  This meal can also be made into a wrap if preferred.

  Ingredients:
•    1 can wild-caught tuna
•    1 tbsp expeller pressed canola oil mayonnaise
•    1/4 cup chopped onions
•    1/4 cup chopped cucumbers
•    1/4 mashed avocado (or 2 tbsp guacamole)
•    1 handful baby spinach
•    2 slices sprouted-grain or whole-grain bread, toasted
•    sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Toast bread.  In a large bowl mix tuna, expeller pressed canola oil mayonnaise, onions, cucumbers, and avocado (or guacamole).  Set aside.  Lay spinach on top of toasted bread.  Spoon tuna salad onto bed of spinach.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with sliced peppers or other produce of choice.  Makes 1 serving for men, and 2 for women.

4.    Vanilla, Fruit & Yogurt Parfait: While most people think of yogurt as a simple snack food or addition to your lunch, in a pinch it can make a delicious and nutritious lunch by itself.  Do be aware that fruit flavored yogurts are either loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, and you want no part of either one.

This recipe provides plenty of high-quality protein, probiotics, healthy fats, fiber, and berries to keep you full until dinner!

Ingredients:
•    6-8oz 2% plain Greek yogurt or whole-fat regular yogurt
•    ½ to 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
•    ½ to 1 tbsp milled flax or chia seeds
•    1 to 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
•    ½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen berries of choice

Directions: Mix the protein powder and seeds in with the yogurt until evenly distributed.  Add in fruit and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.  For women use the smaller portion sizes, for men the larger.  Makes 1 serving.

5.    Lunch Portion of Dinner Leftovers or Large Batch of Chili, Stew, etc.: A simple way to have a healthy lunch is to make an extra large dinner the night before.  Purposefully make your dinner with an extra serving that you simply refrigerate.  Come the next morning, you have a healthy lunch already made and packed!

Another option is to make a large batch of chili or beef stew, which can provide you with several lunch servings throughout the week.  This is a perfect meal to make on Sunday, providing you lunch for most of the work week!

Here is a delicious fat burning chili recipe that fits the bill nicely.

Look at the cost of working out at a gym & hiring a personal trainer  VS.  working out at home and having me be your free fitness coach. In this comparison, we are assuming that you get 3 circuit training from a personal trainer, while you do 3 cardio session on your own at the gym. We are comparing that with doing P90X at home, which is a 6 day per week workout program for 90 days.

90 Day Price Comparison                                          Train At Gym              Train At Home

Personal Trainer ($60/hr x 3 session/wk x 12 wks)                $2160                          FREE

Gym Membership ($50/month x 3 months)                              $150                            FREE

P90X Deluxe Package (includes DVDs & Equipment)              $0                               $270*

Supplements/Shakes                                                                    $600                             $600**

TOTAL                                                                                   $2910                            $870

*  90-day money back guarantee

**30-day money back guarantee

How can I afford to be a free fitness coach?

I benefit from being your free fitness coach by earning a commission on any Beachbody products you purchase – whether it be a program, supplement, or equipment.  It helps compensate me for the time I spend answering your questions and keeping you motivated!

Why to choose me as  your free fitness coach?

I’ve done several rounds of P90X and totally transformed my body.  When people ask me “Does P90X work?”  I tell them “Yes!”  But it takes hard work and dedication.  As your fitness coach, I know what it’s like to not want to work out and I can keep you motivated.  If you are not sure which Beachbody program to use or what equipment to get, I will help guide you based on your goals.  Since I have worked with many different people with different body types, I can put together a customized plan for you, no matter what your fitness goals are.

About Beachbody products:

Beachbody products are high quality and top of the line. The workout programs are for everyone as they varies from the extreme like P90X, to something light and easy for the beginners. Meanwhile, the nutrition and supplements line such as the organic super-food Shakeology, supplements and recovery drinks provide the additional nutrients your body needs to build lean muscle mass fast! Find out the right solution for you based on your fitness goals.

I’m ready, how do i sign up for you as my free fitness coach?

Make me your fitness coach now by clicking here and you will be taken to the Beachbody website.  I will automatically become your free fitness coach when you sign up.  I will answer all your questions and keep you motivated as you are TRANSFORMING your physique!

Ready to get started? Click here to make me your free fitness coach and start taking back your health.

1) Eat more protein
I tell everyone to eat more when they are looking to get leaner.  Most of the time people look at me like I’m nuts.  Really?  Eat more?  Their whole lives they have heard you need to eat less and less, but can we eat more of something and still lose weight?

It turns out that protein has some very cool effects.  First off, protein helps with satiety and keeps you full longer.   I could site a bunch of studies here but try this experiment out on your own instead.   Eat 2 whole chicken breasts and the same amount of calories from Twinkies, then see how soon you are hungry again.

Two 6 oz chicken breasts have about 420 calories.  This may leave some of you doing your own episode of “Man vs Food” just to finish them.  Yet 3 Twinkies have about the same number of calories, and it would be easy to polish them off in no time (not that I know anything about that).

In the end, eat more protein to watch your waistline go down.
 

2) Drink more water
Not a new one but most people still don’t do it.   Good thing about water is there’s no calories.  Test out drinking more water and I bet you will drop fat without trying harder.

Does water temperature really matter?  If you research this you’ll see very quickly that this topic is pretty split, so if you like cold water, go for it.  If you can’t stand cold water, just go with room temperature water.   Don’t use the temperature of the water as an excuse to avoid it.   Drink more first and then worry about the temperature.
 

3) Get more essential fats
Essential fats are something many, many people are lacking in today’s world.  Plus they are involved in virtually every process and cell in the body!    Your body NEEDS them (hence the “essential” part).  Hunger is the main way the body signals you to get more nutrients (both macro and micronutrients).
The downside is that the world we live in today has non-essential fats readily accessible.  You can eat all the non-essential trans fats you want, but they will do nothing to increase the essential ones and only screw things up more!
A good source?

One of the best sources of essential fats is kril oil.  Krill or fish oil may also help with body composition too and increase muscle mass.
 

4) Exercise
Exercise is a good thing!  It changes your mood and I say this all the time:  you will never regret working out after.  So many people only choose to exercise so that they can eat what they want.  That’s not doing anything to help you shrink your waistline!  Don’t exercise to burn off that donut.

Exercise is the main way create a fat burning machine even at rest!  Give your body a donut in that process and you’ve just slowed down all functions in your body.
Most people nowadays spend most of their time seated.  Even when they exercise, it is for a small portion of their day; so we need to maximize that time by prioritizing full body exercises. Not only will this burn a ton of calories, it will work to add more muscle.  More muscle literally pulls fats and carbs out of the blood to be burned.  Your resting metabolic rate is your primarily caloric burn, so you want to have a fast, high horsepower motor.
Another benefit from exercise is related to up-regulation of the glucose transport receptors that allow glucose to enter into a cell.   (HOLD ON – DON’T FALL ASLEEP HERE)!  These receptors are located in fat and muscle tissue.   This protein is expressed only in muscle and fat cells – the major tissues in the body that respond to insulin.   This leads us into point 5…..
 

5) Eat Low Glycemic Foods to Control Insulin Throughout the Day
I’m sure you have read about this topic many times and scratched your head or fallen asleep.   But our bodies are designed to regulate bodily functions through hormones like GH, testosterone, estrogen, leptin, and neuropeptides.
While these are very important,  there are 2 key questions.
1) Do we have any direct control over them?
2) What are the main effects?
Out of these key questions we find that insulin is a major regulator hormone, and we do maintain some control over it.
Think of insulin as the “fuel selector switch” in the body.
High levels of insulin = storage mode (think of people with type 2 diabetes).
This can be storing carbs in muscle and live tissue as glycogen, or storing more fat around those love handles you hate.
The opposite works to our favor, though, as low levels of insulin = fat burning (enhanced fat metabolism).   Everything that you eat will result in some release of insulin, but we want to keep the overall response as low as possible by sticking with more proteins like meat, fish, egg, lots of non-starchy vegetables, and essential fats.
 

6) Spike insulin
You’re probably thinking I just made a typo after dicussing how important it is to control insulin.  Nope.  I still want you to keep insulin at a low level during the day overall but the one time to increase insulin temporarily is RIGHT before training since it may help enhance carbohydrate metabolism.
When you are lifting weights, your body is fueled primarily by carbs.  Remember that when insulin is high, it pushes the fuel selector switch towards carbohydrate metabolism which is great right before a strength training session.
Have a protein and carb drink about 30-60 minutes pre-training.  In addition to temporarily increasing insulin, it also helps increase muscle protein synthesis where you are literally adding proteins to muscle tissue so they are bigger and stronger.  Remember, we want to build a huge engine to burn more calories even at rest.
 

So as you know, hunger can be a vicious enemy and you are now equipped with 6 tips to beat it into submission.    Go practice them and send me feedback and your results with it.

Supermarkets are the best places to get most of the foods that we need to live, but
sometimes stepping into the store can create a lot of anxiety with all those fancy signs and, sometimes, dim lighting.

Also around every corner are the common pitfalls that face every dieter or person
looking to shed a few pounds. Deceptive labeling techniques have made it hard
for shoppers to really know the difference between healthy and unhealthy. Most
shoppers go into a store with no set agenda but what they think they want for
food for the next week. This can create a cart full of products that you do not
need and that are more than likely not good for you. If it is in your cart, then it is in your house. If it is in your house, then it WILL be in your mouth.

Here are six ways to make your shopping experience better,   and help you trim your waistline by watching what is going into your cart:

Have a menu planned for the week

Having planned meals that you can cook and freeze ahead of time takes the pressure off of you by knowing exactly what you are going to have for meals throughout the
week. Buy extra ingredients for your favorite healthy meals and cook in bulk.
This way you can save those healthy meals for the next day’s leftovers. Making
a menu also enables you to shop for the ingredients that you need and leave those high-calorie snacks on the shelf where they belong.

Start smart: Create a list from your menu

Knowing what you are going to have for meals ahead of time makes the shopping
experience easier. Having your list, you are armed with the information you
need to go through the store without falling into the pitfalls of high-calorie,
nutrient-lacking foods. Not only will this help you shop with ease knowing that
you are putting only the necessities in your cart, but also it helps to cut down on your budget by buying ingredients in bulk, and not putting extra snacks or treats in your cart that sometimes come with an out-of-the-world price tag.

Shop around the perimeter and avoid the inner aisles of stores

Think about those inner aisles: alcohol, processed foods, cookies, chips, etc. On the
perimeter you’ll find produce, bakery, seafood, meat, dairy, and the frozen section are usually areas that you find along the perimeter of the store.  Shopping around the perimeter of the store provides you with the opportunity to shop for fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat that are leaner and will provide you with the best selection of foods available. You get to choose from the leaner cuts of meat to skim or lower fat milk that have fresh expiration dates on them. This can help you plan meals better by choosing fresh chicken, meat, or fish, giving you more whole food options and sometimes better deals from the person behind the counter.

Learn to read labels

Learning to read the labels can be a far better use of your time then walking around
aimlessly looking for healthy products. Pay close attention to the serving
size, amount of fats (in particular, saturated fats), and if there are trans
fats on the label. Also look for sodium content, fiber, sugars, and calories
per serving. The most important aspect of label reading is making sure that you
look at the ingredients. If you are looking for a whole wheat product, for
example, the first ingredient should be stone ground or whole wheat flour. If
the first ingredient happens to be unbleached, enriched whole wheat flour, then
the product has been stripped of the natural fiber that comes from whole wheat.
If whole wheat is found somewhere besides the first ingredient, then there is a
lesser amount of that in the product.

Deceptive labeling is making headlines as manufacturers are allowed to put certain
phrases on products if they meet certain guidelines set by the FDA. Learning to
read the labels will help you to fight back and be armed with the knowledge to
pick healthy and nutritious foods.

Buy store brand and not name brand

Name brand products do only one thing to you: they kill your wallet. Buying no-name
brand products not only provide you with the same fresh, quality ingredients,
but they are also just as nutritious as the name brand products at half the
price. Shop smarter by buying store name brands, and you will find that not
only are you lighter around the waist, but also a little heavier in the wallet.

Shop at local Farmers’ Markets

The produce that you find in the stores is packed full of nutrients and sometimes
something else: pesticides. Pesticides are typically used to keep bugs and rodents away from the plants in order for us to enjoy them when they get to the supermarket. On most weekends throughout the year, you can find Farmers’ markets someplace in your town. This is where local farmers come and sell their goods. The markets are usually packed with produce that has not been treated with heavy pesticides so you can enjoy the nutrient-packed food right away.

Also, farmers that grow this great produce are willing to answer any questions
you might have about pesticides, preparation, and other things you might find
useful. It might be more money, but rest assured you are buying products that
are good for you without pesticides, and you are helping your local economy
grow.

These steps will help make your shopping experience more enjoyable by eliminating the high pressure of walking around all the processed food found in the supermarket.  By using these tips you’ll shrink your waistline and the amount you spend grocery shopping.

See more healthy blog posts on my Team Beachbody website where I am a contributing author. 

For recipes and grocery list ideas for clean eating click here.

Throughout the majority of human existence (with the exception of the last few decades), humans have always spent more time outdoors than indoors. Nowadays however, most of us are trapped inside offices all week long and might only get out into the sun once a week, if that.

This subject of the sun and natural production of vitamin D can fill entire books, so I’ll try to summarize my opinions and what I’ve learned in the past few years through a lot of my reading.

Don’t worry, I’m not ignoring the fact that overexposure to the sun CAN cause problems, including cancer… but we need to also consider the fact that underexposure to the sun can have problems as well.

Consider these points:

1. Non-consistent sun exposure and infrequent SUNBURNS is the major cause of damage to the skin and increased risk of cancer… Think about your typical person that sits inside an office all week long without ever seeing the sun, and then gets FRIED at the pool or the beach on the weekend. THIS is where the damage occurs.

2. Regular consistent small amounts of exposure to the sun (without burning) can actually have a protective effect on the skin, increases healthful Vitamin D levels in the body, and can improve mood, help depression, and dozens of other benefits.  Each individual’s skin pigmentation determines what amount of sun exposure they can safely obtain without doing more harm than good.

For example, a very fair-skinned person with a far northern heritage might only be able to get 10-15 minutes of sun exposure over the majority of the body during peak hours before it does more harm than good.  However, someone with darker skin and a heritage that originated closer to the equator might be able to get much longer periods of regular sun exposure without doing more harm than good.

3. Increasing Vitamin D levels from regular small doses of sunshine can actually decrease cancer risk. Vitamin D itself has been shown to have a protective effect through various processes in the body.

4. This one is interesting and deserves some thought — According to Dr William Grant, a Vitamin D researcher, cancer rates in those living at high latitudes (farther north) such as Iceland are approximately 4 TIMES the cancer rates of those living at lower latitudes (closer to the equator) in the tropics.

Hmm, yet those people living in the tropics are getting MUCH higher levels of those so-called “deadly sun rays”… but they are also producing higher levels of protective Vitamin D on average too.

5. Vitamin D is actually produced into a hormone in our bodies and regulates hundreds of processes in the body, and is WAY MORE important to almost every single aspect of your health than most people realize. There is even evidence that due to the regulation of so many hormonal processes in our bodies that can be affected by Vitamin D, producing enough Vitamin D in your body can even help with fat loss, muscle building, blood sugar control, and hundreds of other factors.

6. It is hard to obtain enough Vitamin D from dietary sources alone (egg yolks, organ meats, and fatty fish are good sources, but still relatively small). The best utilized source of Vitamin D is what we produce in our bodies from moderate regular sun exposure over large portions of the body without burning.

7. An antioxidant-rich diet can help to protect the skin (to an extent) from damage if you get too much sun exposure. This means that getting lots of antioxidants from things such as various teas (green, black, white, rooibos, yerba mate, chammomile, etc), various berries, fruits, vegetables, beta carotene, nuts, olive oil, etc, etc can help to protect your skin. Make sure to pick up some Shakeology here to help increase your antioxidant levels in the body.

8. Another point that proves that irregular burning is the major cause of damage and not regular small doses of sunshine… Rates of skin cancer are typically higher in areas of the body that get irregular sun and occasional burning as opposed to areas of the body that have received consistent sun for your entire life.

So what’s the best way to do this in a healthy way while minimizing sun overexposure risk?

In the spring, try to start with just small periods in the sun such as 10-15 minutes/day.  Make sure to try to NEVER get a sunburn!  Gradual small doses of sunshine over a large part of your body almost daily helps your body produce the most beneficial and protective Vitamin D levels.

Avoid extended periods of overexposure to the sun on large portions of your body… If you’re going to be out for several hours or an entire day in the sun, you’ll still need to make sure to cover up appropriately (based on your individual skin pigmentation and sensitivity) to prevent burning and skin damage… remember that we’re talking about regular small doses of sunshine that is beneficial, not entire days out in the sun without covering up.

I would caution against relying heavily on chemical-based sunscreens as most of the chemicals used in sunscreens are potentially carcinogenic and are also known to be estrogenic, as they absorb through your skin and into your body.  If you’re going to use a lotion based sunblock, you’re best bet is a natural form that uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide… These are natural sunblocks that don’t absorb into your skin, but rather sit on top of the skin’s surface and block the rays.  This is a big difference compared to the harmful chemicals that are in most sunscreens (various benzones, homosalate, etc).

Load up on antioxidant-rich foods such as various teas, fruits and veggies, berries, etc daily to help prevent free radical damage and protect your skin.

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I also love to trick my body in to thinking it has just been given a huge meal just by eating nutrient dense foods such as Shakeology, or even just a regular protein shake.

The 2 best things that do this are protein and fiber.  Protein and fiber both digest very slowly, therefore, keeping you fuller longer.  Their combination also helps keep hunger under control and prevents catabolism so you don’t lose any of that lean muscle you’ve worked so hard for.

These are the two best times of day that I think this is perfect:

1)  In the middle of the afternoon to hold off cravings until dinner.

2)  Late night right before bed to hold off those cravings right before bed.  your body needs something that it ‘believes’ is filling but isn’t and without doing any damage to your waistline.

Find a protein shake or a protein bar that has the following ratio:  24 grams protein, 3-4 grams of fiber and less than 2 grams of sugar (hopefully sweetened with Stevia) and roughly 150-200 calories.

This combination will keep your metabolism burning in high gear all day!

#1:   Low-fat Foods

Food labeling can be very deceptive when it comes to food geared for weight loss.  Low-fat foods are one of the products to be careful about.  Just because the food says “low fat,” does not mean the food is low calorie.  Be sure to check the label and see how many calories are typically in the product.  Most people associate low-fat foods with lower calories, so they tend to eat more.  Do not be fooled by this deceptive labeling technique.

#2:   Sugar-Free Foods

Sugar-free foods are geared to people with diabetes or at risk for developing diabetes.  Sugar-free foods have low calories and no sugar.

However, look at the label under sugars, and you will see something interesting.  Sugar-free foods tend to have sugar alcohols, which is an ingredient designed to give it sweetness.  Most of the time, sugar alcohol is made from sugar products, which can lead to increased calories.  Sugar alcohols carry between 1.5 and 4 calories per gram.  Not only do you get extra calories, but you also can get cramping, bloating, and other gastrointestinal problems if you ingest too much.

#3:   Commercial Smoothies

Normally, smoothies are associated with healthy eating.  They have skim milk, fruit, and yogurt, so they are considered a great, healthy food.  Some commercial smoothies, however, have many hidden calories from extra sugar.  Some smoothies are also made with ice cream, so you end up ballooning sugar, fat, and calorie content.  Most of the time, the fruit in smoothies is blended up into fruit juice, or fruit juice is added.   This eliminates the fiber that is found in the skin of most fruits.  My advice:  Make your smoothies at home, and leave the commercial smoothies on the shelf.

#4:   Commercial Yogurts

Yogurt, again, has been considered a natural health product containing calcium, probiotics, and other products that have been shown to be beneficial to our health.  Look at the label again, and you might see something surprising.   When looking at the label, some of the first few ingredients in yogurt are different forms of sugar.  All this extra sugar can lead to weight gain and stubborn, hard-to-lose body fat.  So again, read the label and see exactly what is in the product before you choose the yogurt of choice.

#5:   Sugary energy drinks including items with added vitamins and minerals

Energy drinks have been advertised as giving you that extra pick-me-up during the day, and a way to increase the intensity of your workouts.  Energy drinks can contain high amounts of caffeine and sugar, which gives you that initial pick-me-up, but you end up crashing hard later.  Also, some drinks that have added vitamins and minerals, can have loads of sugar as well.  So stop and think before you drink and choose something lower in calories and sugar, maybe something like coffee or tea.

Next, I am going to share with you 5 foods that are beneficial to your health, and you might not even know it.

#1:  Swiss Chard

Aging can create many different problems for people.  Wrinkles, lack of balance, and our eyesight can worsen, and are just some of the different things that happen with the aging process.  Swiss chard is considered a super food because of some of the amazing caroteniods that can be found in this leafy green vegetable.  Swiss chard contains high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin that have been shown to help with good eyesight.   These two caroteniods have been shown to build up in the eyes, which help with the way light rays enter our eyes and are absorbed.

#2:  Pepper, Especially Capsaicin

So most of you are probably asking why pepper is on the list.  Pepper is a zero-calories food that can add a lot of flavor to your foods.  Not only does it pack a great punch to your foods, but capsaicin has been shown to have tremendous anti-inflammatory properties.  It has also been shown to be helpful in fighting some cancers because of its anti-cancer effects.
#3:  Wheat Grass

There are plenty of juices out there that contain Wheat Grass which is chock full of vitamins and minerals that will keep you healthy.   Loaded with Vitamins, B, C, and E, this food can help to clean out your system and fight infections.   Not only does this food contain essential vitamins and minerals, but it also is a complete protein.  This food is full of the essential amino acids that our bodies require for building muscle.   The high concentration of vitamins helps protect the body from stress that our bodies are under daily.  Wheat grass by itself is not very tasty so I was happy to see it in my shake that I drink every day: Shakeology.
#4:   Tahini

Tahini is now found in most grocery stores as an excellent source of all the B vitamins as well as calcium.  B vitamins are essential in development of healthy cells in the body, especially red blood cells.   B vitamins can also help in raising metabolism, and help our immune system become stronger.  Tahini also holds a surprising amount of calcium, zinc, and copper.  The high levels of calcium can help keep bones strong and healthy, and might be responsible in fighting some cancers. Tahini also holds an abundance of fiber, specifically sesamin and sesomolin, which can have positive effects in lowering cholesterol.
#5:  Avocado

This amazing fruit helps reduce inflammation through some of the carotenoids found in the green, fleshy part of the avocado. This vegetable also has a tremendous amount of fat, but the good fats that are beneficial to the body. The main source of fat is Oliec acid, which helps with fat absorption and also helps to lower the risk for developing heart disease. Avocados also have phytosterols, which keep inflammation in the body under control.

I absolutely love talking about fitness and nutrition and I do a lot of it on my facebook page.  I don’t always get to blog but I post motivating status updates and help people get fit and healthy!  Come join me!