All posts tagged: #HealthyMom

2 Tricks To Stop Sugar And Chocolate Cravings Around “That Time Of The Month”

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That time of the month can really bring on those sugar and chocolate cravings and it’s so easy to grab junky food items that just end up making us feel worse and not to mention messing with our fitness goals. When the cravings are unbearable I have 2 little tricks 1. Increase Magnesium Ever wonder why you crave chocolate before your period? It’s because your body is craving for magnesium. Dark chocolate (80% plus cocoa) has more magnesium than any other food. Magnesium levels fluctuate during a woman’s cycle. The higher the estrogen or progesterone, the lower the magnesium. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, when both estrogen and progesterone are elevated, magnesium plummets big time. I usually take 400 mg of magnesium per night but around “that time of the month” I will increase the amount to 600 mg or indulge in some dark chocolate… just like the recipe below. 2. Make My Famous Chocolate-Peppermint Fudge Bites Satisfy and help PMS cravings and symptoms with this recipe. It’s the perfect sweetness and oooey …

My Top 8 Holiday Gifts For That Fitness Enthusiast On Your List

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It is that time of year again. Tis the shopping season or shall I say Confusion Season!? So many of us subject ourself to mindless shopping in hopes to find the right gifts but we end up heading home from the chaotic mall with a generic gift card…am I right? Well if you have a”Fitness Enthusiast” on your list, I’m here to help but I’ll say sorry in advanced to all the other people you have no idea what to buy for My Top 8 Holiday Fitness Gifts That I Recommend Fitness Magazine Subscription. We all like to get inspired and motivated and nothing does that better than a good Ol’ fitness magazine, give your loved one a subscription to the #1 Selling magazine in Canada,  Inside Fitness Women  Smile Wholefood Blends – All-In-One Organic blends of chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts offering different flavours like goji berries, cranberries, coconut and cocoa. Just 1 tablespoon will add  a tasty and nutritional punch to any of your snacks while saving shelf space. A great little stocking …

SMILE

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So what’s with all of my smiling posts lately? Well here’s the news. I’m so excited to announce my partnership with Smile Natural Foods (which is a division of Kii Naturals) as their Global Nutritionist. Smile is a proactive brand of superfoods, unique blends, cereals, and quality pantry foods that provide added health benefits with value and convenience to make nutrition…simple. Our first product launch is an All-In-One organic whole food blend consisting of superfoods such as flax, chia, hemp, goji berry, cranberry, cacao, coconut, pumpkin seeds, maca powder, oat bran, and cinnamon…just to name a few…you know…all the good stuff. Each spoonful packs extra fibre, protein, and omega fats into your yogurt, cereal, salads, and smoothies. Organic certified, Non-GMO certified, vegan friendly, and no sugar added. Even better we are the first to market a product of this kind around the world so there’s no need to purchase these ingredients individually anymore. I will begin adding these into my nutrition programs ASAP and will announce the launch of these products at retail which will …

NON GMO, Yes or No?

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There is a lot of information out there when it comes to nutrition and some just darn right confusing. I often hear people say “if we listen to all the food that is bad for us, we won’t be able to eat anything!”. In my opinion that statement is being a little over-dramatic but since there is so much bad information out there I can understand why people feel that way. So lets unwrap one statement/label that we’re seeing a lot of lately. NON GMO. What are GMOs? GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. In short, fake food. Are GMOs safe? Surprisingly but no so surprisingly, most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world (the smart ones!), including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European …

On Plan Casserole To Help Lean You Out…

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Today I’m sharing a healthy recipe with you that will please your taste buds while taking you one step closer to achieving your fitness goals. What a delicious way to eat your veggies. This colorful dish is perfect for a healthy breakfast or a light dinner. All of that hard work that you put into your workouts can quickly and easily be lost on unhealthy eating – which is why it’s so important to enjoy light, protein-filled meals like this one. Servings: 4 Here’s what you need: 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ cup sweet onion, chopped 1-12 oz bag Birds Eye Steamfresh frozen broccoli 1-15oz jar Mezzetta Marinated Sweet Yellow & Red Roasted Peppers ¼ cup 2% milk reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese 8 egg whites 2 tablespoons nonfat milk 8 Calamata Olives, chopped Dash of salt and pepper Cherry tomatoes to garnish (optional) i) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a small saucepan with light cooking spray and sauté the zucchini and onion over medium heat until tender. Microwave …

Fat Loss, Digestion, and Eating Slower

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When setting up a good nutrition program, most people are alarmed with the amount of food they are starting off to eat. Of course since the diet is all whole food sources, we are dealing with low calorie/high volume food versus high calorie/low volume junk food. Eating food creates a “demand” on our metabolism in the same manner as lifting weights puts a demand on our muscles to grow, become stronger, and take shape. By eating high quality whole foods, we are putting a demand on our metabolism to grow more powerful and oxidize our food more efficiently. With metabolism rising through eating, we also have increased body temperature which also require more oxygen uptake (just like fire needs oxygen). This is also where we get the old adage “starve a fever” when we’re sick. When we add digestion into the mix, the process of digestion is designed to break down food into microscopic morsels that it can be sent to your cells and combusted with your increased oxygen uptake for energy release (i.e. “oxidized”) which …

ON PLAN FISH TACOS??? YES PLEASE!

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Who says that fish tacos have to be fried or unhealthy? And who says that Fish Tacos can’t be on plan? This refreshing recipe uses baked Cod and fresh coleslaw for that fish taco taste that is hard to beat. Need to fix dinner in a hurry? This recipe only takes 20 minutes. Don’t lose the benefits of your workouts this week by going on a weekend binge. Make healthy choices and reap the biggest reward of all: a fit, toned, healthy body that you’re proud of. Servings: 2 Here’s what you need… 1 pound Fresh Skinless Cod 1 Tablespoon Butter ¼ teaspoon Cumin 1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder ½ cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar 2 Tablespoons Honey 3 cups Shredded Cabbage Mix 4 Whole Wheat Tortillas Lime or Lemon to taste Rinse fish and past dry with paper towels. Cut fish crosswise into ¾ inch slices. Place fish in single layer in greased shallow baking pan. Combine butter, cumin, and garlic powder. Brush over fish. Bake in a 450 degree F …

Looking for faster weight loss? Read how water can help!

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Client – “Jenny my diet is on point but I’m starting to feel low energy, my weight is fluctuating, and my strength is waning. I’m not sure what’s going on?” Jenny – “Are you drinking all of your assigned water?” Client – “Not really. I tend to forget.” Jenny – “Drink your 3-4 Litres daily please” New clients always start off talking to me about weight loss and I always move the conversation to metabolism (because of my commitment to long term fat loss) but what does metabolism exactly mean? In a nutshell metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical reactions in the body but more specifically when it comes to calorie burning metabolism, I am referring to thermic efficiency. So naturally an increased thermic rate within our bodies increases the requirement for water. Since consistent exercise is a big component of my fat loss strategy with my clients and (thermic rate is higher), the energy substrates that are in our muscles (such as ATP, CP, and glycogen) requires more intracellular water to …

TEAM STRONG GIRLS Client Progress

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One of my favourite client progress pictures courtesy of the beautiful Melanie G. who’s awesome progress was the result of simply creating dieting structure while also enjoying plenty of food flexibility (fun on the weekends and holidays) and consistently pushing herself at the gym. This STRONG GIRL is down 15 lbs along with shredding 4 inches off her hips and another 4 inches around her belly button! More importantly the images and her change in appearance is out of this world! Melanie says, “I honestly can’t believe how easy it was to get to where I am right now. I though weight gain was inevitable because of my age or even genetics and thought it was going to be impossible to get back into the shape I was in when I was in my 20s and that I just needed to accept it…but man am I glad I didn’t give up and decided to reach out to you and become a #StrongGirl. You made it so simple – Here’s the process, follow it, if you have any …

Pumpkin Squash Turkey Ball Soup

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As we’re deep into Autumn and approaching November (and Christmas! Gasp!), the weather is starting to get chillier so to keep warm I like to replace some of my meals with a warm delicious soup and my delicious Pumpkin Squash Turkey Ball Soup hits the spot! I’m definitely going to enjoy this later today 🙂 Soup Ingredients: ■ 1 tbsp olive oil ■ 1 small onion, chopped ■ 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger ■ 2 cloves garlic minced ■ 1 large pumpkin squash, peeled and cubed ■ 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth ■ 2 cups water ■ 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice ■ 1 medium baked sweet potato Directions: 1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. 2. Add the chopped onion, ginger and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 7 minutes 3. Add the squash and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes 4. Blend the soup in a food processor, blender or an immersion blender, in …