The other day while I was leading a workout class someone asked me about my diet...what do I eat, how much, what to avoid, all the fun things. It's no secret that often times when we aren't seeing the results we desire, the answer lies in our kitchen, but there are so many other factors to consider as well.Below are three simple health tips I often share with friends & clients. Each one has helped me get where I needed to be on my health journey, and more importantly- stay there.
1. Cook your own food and cook it often!
When I think about the food I eat three questions come to mind. Is it a quality meal? Do I have time to make this? How much will it cost? RARELY are the answers always yes, yes & cheap. The majority of the time I aim for 2/3 of these things, but we all have different priorities and sometimes it varies depending on your season of life! Right now I've been focused on quality and time. In other seasons I've valued cost over time or even quality. Regardless, the truth is: cooking your own food is the key to hitting all three of these categories. Repeat after me:
Healthy food doesn't have to be expensive.
Cooking often doesn't mean I'll spend forever in the kitchen.
The quality of my food matters.
Living in a culture that is absolutely saturated with information can make healthy living hard. There are literally thousands, maybe even millions of food bloggers making you realize that there is such a thing as too many choices. Pinterest is like a giant black hole just waiting to suck up your joy & confidence, AND all the time you had to meal prep. Seriously, it's just a mess.
Now, I love a good online recipe now and then, but my advice is to use these options when you're stuck in a rut and need to mix it up- not as your norm. When people ask me for recipes, or advice on getting back to the kitchen my answer is simple: find a killer cookbook, and simply work your way through it. Most cookbook authors use the same ingredients in many recipes, so that makes it easier+cost effective, and you learn lots of valuable cooking techniques along the way.
What cookbooks should I use? So glad you asked. Here are my favs:
- The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook- This book is packed with flavor bombs. Balanced real food recipes that are delicious and good for you!
- Ready or Not- I do not follow any specific diet, but this book makes you feel confident about the paleo life. Michelle Tam's recipes are easy to follow and so so so so so so (yes, 6 so's!) good! I also love that the recipes are organized based on how much time you have/how prepared you are.
- The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook- Everyone needs a little fast & easy in their life when it comes to cooking, right? I love Whole30 recipes because I know I can trust that they're real food ingredients & free of sugar. Throw some quinoa or a grain of choice on the side if you need to, or leave it as is, either way= winning!
I don't believe in anything that forces you to completely eliminate a food group or starve yourself. You can eat all the keto recipes in the world, but if you're still eating more calories than what you're burning- the results won't be there.
What I do believe in is balanced, intuitive eating. Eat well-rounded, nutrient-dense meals and eat them when you're hungry. There are so many opinions and so much nitty gritty details when it comes to food, so I'll just break down my basic, non-negotiable food rules for you. These are things that have helped me lose weight when I needed to, maintain it for years & focus on building lean muscle.
- If you need to lose weight, you need to track how much you're eating. This means deciding how many calories your body needs and making sure they're properly balanced between carbohydrates, fats and proteins (+ allllll the veggies). If you're not tracking, I guarantee you are eating more than you think. I find it best to focus on just three meals a day, and limit snacking to pre/post workouts as needed. When you're eating three well-balanced meals, you don't need lots of snacks. Measure your food: scoop it, weigh it, count it. It's not that hard and it pays off! Putting these habits in place guarantees you lasting results and you don't have to deprive yourself, you can eat what you want within the proper portions.
- Eat lots of green things. Every. Single. Meal. When you look at your plate, what takes up the most space? Our bodies need SO MANY vegetables; even with including them in each meal, it's tough to get enough. Plus green leafy things are the best for you veggie wise and you can have AS MANY as you want. Make them tasty and load up. When your belly is filling up on all those yummy greens, it's not going to need some of the other stuff you'd normally have in its place. My go-to greens include:
- Any blend of spinach/kale/arugula tossed with a little balsamic & vinegar. I add this onto nearly every plate of food I eat, because...why the heck not? They're delicious with a fried egg on top in the morning or on the side of whatever meat I'm having for lunch & dinner. Dress them up more for a full-on salad.
- Broccoli. Steamed, sauteed, roasted & seasoned well. It goes with all things. I love topping it with a ginger sesame sauce you can find in the Ready or Not cookbook I mentioned earlier.
- Green juice. I drink this in the morning a lot when I'm having a more grain-heavy breakfast. My favorite blends are by Saje and Trader Joes, but in general I just check the ingredients to make sure that veggies are at the top of the list, NOT apple juice. :)
- Swiss chard+Butter lettuce. These work awesome at lunch time for wraps which I love because I like to eat my carbs in the mornings and evenings more and keep lunch light.
- Pick any veggie, add a killer sauce. Honestly, sauce makes every green thing taste better. Whether you've got brussels, green beans or asparagus laying around there's a 100% chance that it'll taste better with a sauce on top (see cookbooks).
- Sleep 7-9 hours a night. We don't really take this one seriously, and we should. I understand it's tough, I understand the kid life too, we simply must try. Sleep is when our bodies heal, it helps our metabolism and hormones and muscles and all the things. You need it! Put the coffee down and stop kidding yourself.
- Save sugar for real splurges. Ditch the dressings, sauces, cereals, lunch meats and really MOST of your packaged foods because the majority are laden with the sneaky little booger that's holding you back: sugar. Read your labels & know the 50+ names sugar goes by. It's everywhere people. Use fruit as much as possible to sweeten things instead (I like dates) and when you need to, use honey or maple syrup. Cutting out sugar in your daily habits= enjoying your treats that much more, because you can still have them and stay within your weight goals.
3. Set Weekly Workout Goals
I'll tell you all the same thing I tell my kids, "God only gave us one body, and we have to take good care of it!" Our bodies were made to move and we should all have a basic level of fitness we're working to maintain in order to be the best version of ourselves. Workout routines can and should look different for everyone. They can vary depending on goals you're working on or the season of life you're in, and that's A-okay. However, just like with food, you need a plan. How many times a week do you need a good cardio workout? Resistance training? Yoga? Stretching and rehab? How will you work movement into your daily routines? Spend some time thinking about what your goals are, and look to a trainer (here for ya!!) for advisement if needed. Then write down your weekly workout goals. After that, SCHEDULE it in. Just like coffee with a friend or grocery shopping, workouts need to be planned for. Your weekly workouts should leave you feeling empowered and free, not restricted and worn out. Always adjust as needed. Always consistently move your body.
As for WHAT workout to do, that really depends on the person, fitness level and goals they have. This is the part where I shamelessly tell you that I'm available to help with this! Hey, if you've read this far, chances are you're interested on some level. 🙂 I am taking new clients for one on one sessions right now and would love to meet with you to discuss your goals and help you make a plan!
Click here to contact me directly and schedule a time to meet.
I could go on and on with the different health tips and food talk and tell you about all my favorite workouts. But honestly, I think the BEST advice I can give you is to love yourself well. Honor your body, respect it, care for it. Speak life & love to it. Start believing you can accomplish the goals you set for yourself and squash the negative thoughts that come without any hesitation. Keep moving forward, you will get there. God made you, and He does not make a single mistake.🖤
Click here to contact me directly and schedule a time to meet.
I could go on and on with the different health tips and food talk and tell you about all my favorite workouts. But honestly, I think the BEST advice I can give you is to love yourself well. Honor your body, respect it, care for it. Speak life & love to it. Start believing you can accomplish the goals you set for yourself and squash the negative thoughts that come without any hesitation. Keep moving forward, you will get there. God made you, and He does not make a single mistake.🖤
