To watch or not to watch?

Posted: May 22, 2013 in animal cruelty, diet, factory farms, food, vegan, vegetarian
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I have a dilemma. Part of my Institute for Integrative Nutrition lectures this week is a video exposing the reality of factory farming. Slaughterhouses. Inhumanely treated animals.

I can’t watch it. I’ve always been an animal lover who rails against animal cruelty and mistreatment, but I only became a  vegetarian about three years ago. Since then, I’ve learned about factory farms and it disgusts me. I don’t need to see it. In fact, I’m afraid that if I do, I’ll never get the images or noises out of my head. I may just puke.

Do you eat meat? If you do, do you know where it comes from and how those animals are treated? Good for you, if so. I don’t mean this as an anti-meat-eating rant at all, so please know I don’t judge anyone for what they choose to eat. But because of the passion that I am pursuing, I just want everyone to be knowledgeable about what they’re putting into their bodies, be it GMO crackers, chips and cookies made with high fructose corn syrup and loaded with trans fats … or doped up, inhumanely treated, slaughtered cows.

IIN provided us a list of places to find  humanely raised and sustainable products, so I’ll share a few with you:

Eat Well Guide – zip code search for sustainable animal products

American Pastured Poultry Producers – farms, by state, that sell pasture-raised poultry

Sustainable Table – find local products free of artificial bovine growth hormone (rBGH)

Local Harvest – find farmer’s markets, CSAs, health food stores and more in your area

A travel agent for your health

Posted: May 17, 2013 in diet, family, fat loss, fitness, food, health coaching
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I’m not much of a traveler. I’d like to be, but the time and money just aren’t there. When I go on a trip with my family, it’s usually to see friends or relatives in other states, so I know the places well and don’t need someone to help me navigate any sightseeing.

However, if and when I make it to Paris or Rome or a tropical resort of some sort, I’m thinking it would be wise to get some help in the planning process.travel agent for your health

I was thinking about this the other day and likening it to how I see the role of a health coach.

If you take a big trip like this, would you simply wander around every day, flying by the seat of your pants with no plan as to where to go and what to do without guidance from someone who knows the city? Or would you use a travel agent, or at least consult with people who have been there and can offer tips and suggestions as to when, where and how to enjoy the city?

Now, a vacation is for a week. Or more if you’re extra special. Your health is for a hopefully very long lifetime. So I’d say that planning the state of your health is an even bigger undertaking, right?

When you decide it’s time to take control of your health, I hope you come to me (or some other health professional, but, yeah, me) for guidance and don’t presume you can do it on your own and achieve long-lasting life-changing results. Let me be your travel agent and guide you through the various diets, fitness plans and stress-relieving techniques to achieve your wellness goals. Don’t fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to your health.

Feeling good for my age

Posted: May 3, 2013 in business, diet, family, fitness, food, health coaching, support, Uncategorized
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Today I turn 45, which sounds kinda old.

birthday ninja

birthday present from the hubs

But here’s the thing (and this is not bragging, just sharing facts) … I feel so much better now than when I was 40 (duh, I was pregnant!), or 35 and maybe even 30. Seriously. I have an abundance of energy most of the time. I don’t experience aches and pains that are generally associated with middle-age, except for muscle soreness from my workouts. I can hang with the young punks in fitness classes. Usually. I’d say I’ve reached my happy place.

That’s not to say I’m stress-free. I’ve got a ton of crap going on right now, from nutrition school, the BodyFX launch and slooowwwwly setting up my health and fitness business to the regular pulls of full-time work and family. But this is good stress that I know will ease in a few months.

Wanna know my secret? Eat good, whole food 90 percent of the time and exercise regularly. It ain’t rocket science, folks.

However, it did take a few years to figure out my formula. I encourage you to experiment to find the right mix for your body. If you feel pretty good most of the time, but have bouts of fatigue or general malaise, do some investigating. What did you eat before you started feeling that way? How much sleep did you get? Did you exercise? If so, what did you do and what did you eat afterward? Did you eat after you exercised? Perhaps you’re eating well but you don’t get enough physical activity? What kind of stress are you experiencing in your life? Trouble in your marriage, with your kids, with your job?

If you find you need help reaching your happy place, I can help. The health coaching arm of my health and fitness business is just about ready. If you want to try a free health coaching consultation, we can do that. Shoot me an e-mail. I want everyone to experience their happy place!

My protein shake brings all the boys to the yard …

Posted: April 13, 2013 in diet, fitness, food, protein, Uncategorized
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bodyfxdirect_big_transparent

I am officially a distributor and founding charter coach for BodyFX products! Woo-freaking-hoo!

I’m thrilled to add this new gig to my fledgling health and fitness business. For now, I’ll be using the products myself and making sample packs for some others. On May 1, though, I’ll be open for biz!

I love that BodyFX has made these products as natural as possible. To wit: they are sweetened with stevia and erythritol – no sucralose, fructose or otherwise unnatural additives; they are made with things like pomegranate, yams, kidney beans and cinnamon.

I’m excited to work for a company that thinks like that. The commission structure is also quite good. So if you’re interested in getting involved as a distributor, contact me.

Here’s the lowdown:

ShakeFX: This is a meal replacement shake, loaded with phytonutrients and enzymes, sweetened with stevia and erythritol,  in chocolate and tropical flavors. I don’t suggest you use it as a “meal replacement”, however, as I wrote about in my previous blog entry.

AfterFX: This is the post-workout shake, in natural berry flavor. It has the BodyFX unique blend of protein as well as cinnamon!

ProteinFX: All protein, all the time. Unflavored and made with the BodyFX protein blend.

SlimFX: This is the weight-loss product. It comes in pineapple/orange flavored wafers and controls sugar cravings. It is sweetened with erythritol and contains white kidney beans.

CleanseFX: This is a 10-day detoxification, which comes in capsules.

EnergyFX: Micro-encapsulated caffeine with yerba mate and green tea extract. I’m not big on energy drinks, as I think you should get your energy from real food, but I know a lot of people go for them. So, as energy drinks go, I’d say this one is pretty natural.

So there you have it. I’ll certainly let you know when my website is activated and you can order the products. In the meantime, I’ll be using them and I’ll let you know how they taste and feel. And if you want in on the action, shoot me an e-mail or comment below.

Protein powders vs. whole foods

Posted: April 5, 2013 in diet, fitness, protein, Uncategorized
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Does it really have to be one or the other?

I don’t think so. As you may have noticed, I’m all about clean eating. I’m a 90-10 eater, which means 90 percent of my diet is clean. I believe in eating real, whole food as much as possible. But I also believe in allowing yourself a bit of freedom to occasionally cheat and enjoy some of the things on your “no” list. That doesn’t make me a hypocrite; it makes me real. If you try to be perfect, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Weight Loss Shake - Protein PowderHowever, protein shakes – obviously not whole food – are part of my daily menu. Here’s why: after a strenuous workout (and if they’re not strenuous, what’s the point?), you must refill your body’s fuel tank. If you don’t, your body will look for replenishment in things like muscle tissue. The most important macronutrient in this regard is protein.

In a perfect world, I would go straight home after my workouts and mix up an amazing omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions and flax seed. In the real world, my protein shakes offer a quick hit to hold me over through that 30 to 60-minute time frame of changing out of my sweaty clothes and cleaning up a bit. Then I make an awesome whole-food-packed lunch for me and my four-year-old. I also use protein powder in smoothies with celery, spinach, coconut milk and frozen berries. I add it to clean pancake and granola recipes, too.

Protein shakes should never be considered a “meal”, but as a “supplement” to a meal. They should also not be considered a way to fast, sustained weight loss. There is no such thing.

There are a ton of protein powders out there, so it’s important to look at the ingredients. If you see things like sucralose, vegetable or sunflower oil, artificial colors and ingredients, run away. While I’ve used these in the past, I’ll soon be using one that uses natural ingredients and sweeteners and I’m super excited about it. I’ll tell you all about it next week :)

On my way …

Posted: March 28, 2013 in business, business card, design, fitness
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I’ve been a busy mess lately. I’m taking tons of positive steps toward creating my business, including: finalizing business cards, taking my first test at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, looking into forming and LLC and obtaining liability insurance, and signing on as a distributor of some awesome new fitness shakes and products (that I can’t fully divulge here) and all the work involved in that.

It’s been tense in my house, to say the least.

But here is one of the things I have to show for it.

Thanks to my very talented friend, Lea Delaveris of Lea Delaveris Design, I have a new logo and business cards. They’re beautiful and tough, stylish and modern, and encompass all things health and fitness from the barbell to the little leaf dotting the “i”.

If you need anything like this done, please look her up!

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MILESTONE MARKER: she spells poop

Posted: March 24, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Reblogged from momjeanz:

Click to visit the original post

as a fan of child-directed learning i'd like to take a post to commemorate the first word my daughter learned to read and spell on her own:

POOP.

D is 4 and in school so we've entered the phase of life where poop and pee and booty are funny words. you know that phase that starts at 4 and lasts the whole rest of your life?

Read more… 279 more words

This just made me laugh out loud.
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