April 5, 2018 by Heather

3 “Super Seeds” to Add to Your Diet

There are seeds, and then there are Super Seeds! Tiny nutrient powerhouses that are packed with goodness promoting a range of health benefits. Sadly, seeds don’t often get enough attention compared to other superfoods. But as the saying goes “good things come in small sizes,” and in this case, it sure does.
Here is a list of 3 top seeds that are well worth adding to your pantry.

Chia Seeds

One of the most popular seeds today is chia seed. Originally grown in Mexico, the word chia in the Mayan Language means “strength.” The Aztec warriors ate chia seeds on a daily basis to give them high energy and endurance for running long distances or during battle.

Chia seeds promote healthy skin, support the heart and digestive system, and help build strong muscles and bones. They contain essential fatty acids, magnesium, niacin, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and are a rich source of antioxidants.

One of the best things about Chia seeds is that they are a complete protein containing all the essential amino acids your body needs. They make a good post-workout drink when added to your smoothie helping to reduce inflammation and to aid in muscle repair and recovery.

Hemp Seeds

Many people are too scared to touch hemp seed or hemp oil because of their name. Yes, it is part of the cannabis family, but no, it will not get you high, only healthy strong!

The only thing Hemp seeds are high in is protein. They are also abundant in minerals and omega 3 essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds can be eaten raw or soaked and are generally easy on the digestive system. They contain high amounts of vitamin E, which have been recommended to athletes to prevent oxidative damage caused by endurance exercises. You’ll also find plenty of magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and sulfur.

Sunflower Seeds

While sunflower seeds don’t sound as fancy as hemp seed or chia seed, they made the list as they’re one of the most common seed variety found around the world. Like most seeds and nuts, sunflower seeds provide a healthy source of essential fatty acids, more specifically linoleic acid.

Sunflower seeds are very high in vitamin E, folate, thiamine, vitamin B6, phosphorous, selenium, and copper. They also contain higher amounts of phytosterols, which have been known to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Including Them In your Diet

Munching on a few nuts and seeds for a power snack during the day is a great healthy option and will provide you with energy, protein and plenty of minerals and vitamins.

You can sprinkle them on your morning cereal, toss them into a crunchy salad for lunch, or whip up into your smoothie or shake. Chia seeds make a wonderful morning pudding, just soak a couple of spoons overnight in a bowl of milk, coconut milk, juice, or yogurt!

February 6, 2018 by Heather

How much Protein is Enough?

We all know the importance of eating protein. It’s an essential nutrient as it’s made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of our tendons, muscles, blood vessels, skin, hair and nails. It also plays a significant role in the production of enzymes and hormones.

How much protein we need to consume per day in a healthy diet is a rather controversial subject at the moment as some people believe more is better. It’s become a hyper-focus part of our diet between athletes, and non-athletes.
But is more better? And is it possible to eat too much?

How Much Protein Do I need?

The recommended daily allowance for most people is about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This brings it to about 46 grams for women about 56 grams for men. Contrary to what most people think, bodybuilders don’t require that much more than the normal recommended amount.

If you’re worried about whether you’re getting enough protein in your diet don’t, as most people in America have no problem getting enough of this macronutrient.
In fact, research has shown that most Americans eat as much as 100 grams of protein per day, which is roughly around twice the recommended amount. Vegan or vegetarians can get to about 60 to 80 grams on a simple plant-based diet.

6 Animal Protein Sources

Grass-fed beef contains 28 grams of protein per 4 oz. serving
1 Chicken breast contains 53 grams of protein
Turkey breast contains 24 grams of protein per 85 grams
1 cup of Tuna contains 39 grams of protein
Salmon contains 19 grams of protein per 85 grams
Eggs contain 6.4 grams of protein per 1 large egg

6 Plant Protein Sources

1 cup of Quinoa contains 8 grams of protein
1 Tbsp. of Hemp Seeds contains 5.3 grams of protein
½ cup of oats contains 13 grams of protein
Pumpkin seeds contain 5 grams of protein per 28 grams
1 cup of broccoli contains 6.8 grams of protein
1 cup of spinach contains .9 grams of protein

Eating Too Much

Depending on your activity level, consuming a large chicken in one single meal doesn’t mean that your body is going to absorb it all. In fact, research shows that overconsumption of protein can actually lead to weight-gain as the body stores the excess/unused into fat.

Very few people don’t get enough protein in their diet and are unaware of the long-term risks of consuming too much, such as kidney damage, elevated blood sugar, loss of bone minerals (etc.)

It’s best to just have a well-balanced diet adding small amounts of protein with each meal. I have put together incredible meal plans where your macros (protein, fat, carbs) are calculated for you according to your stats and your goals!

January 20, 2018 by Heather

Fat-loss vs. Weight-loss

The festive season is nearly finished and you might be tempted to step on the scale to see how many extra pounds you’ve gained and how many you’re hoping to lose.
Whatever you do, don’t start to panic. You ate what you ate, and you may or may not have kept up with your exercising. If there was any time of the year to sit back and enjoy life a little, it was now! If it’s any reassurance, you’re not alone!!!

Now the festive season has passed and the New Year is around the corner. But before you step on the scale and start to panic about the extra pudge around your belly – concocting an immediate “weight loss” diet of water and kale – let’s get a couple of facts straight.

Weight loss vs. Fat loss

We’re going to break down a hot topic term here which people seem to use interchangeably. “Weight-loss vs. fat-loss.”

Weight Loss – means lowering your body-weight, this includes the weight of your organs, bones, muscles, body fat, water, etc.

Fat Loss – means lowering the amount of body fat your body carries.

Misled by the Scale

There is a huge difference between losing fat and losing weight. For the average person, your goal should be to lose fat, not weight. Most people are misled by the scale and focus way too much on how much they weigh.

When you lose weight, you lose fat, muscle, fluids, etc. So, if your focus is seeing those lbs drop when stepping on the scale you may be losing important muscle – not fat.

Of course, in some cases, such as obesity, your goal is to also lose weight, but you want the majority of your weight loss to be fat, not weight.

Measuring your body fat according to the scale alone is an inefficient way to tell if you need to lose extra body fat. Another thing to consider is that muscle weighs more than fat, which means if you’re toning up and building muscle, chances are you may step on the scale and be surprised that you’re heavier than when you started. This is because you gained valuable muscle.

Replace Your Scale with Weights and Look Healthy

If you are seriously obese then you may want to keep the scales close by to monitor your general weight loss goal. But if you want to want to look and feel healthy put away those scales and pick up some weights!

Losing weight alone can leave you looking “skinny fat” because you have no muscle tone underneath for the skin to stick to. Start lifting weights and focus on losing fat and building muscle instead of losing weight!

January 5, 2018 by Heather

Incorporating Fitness into your Day

It’s human nature to feel too tired or lazy to exercise. To make excuses for why we can’t exercise in the first place. And to be honest it’s not easy sometimes to fit it into our day.

Our schedules are busy, our days are long, and when the day is done and dusted all we want to do is pour ourselves a nice glass of red and sit back and watch a few episodes of our favorite TV show!

Dedicating even just 25 minutes a day is sometimes difficult so we put it off for tomorrow, but then tomorrow comes and we still haven’t exercised.

Focus on Health and Strength

Many people get discouraged about their health and fitness goals when they step on the scale. They put too much emphasis on weight loss, rather than the gratitude they get from the joys of exercise and movement.

Forget the scale, and think about how you feel after a good workout. Find your motivation to exercise from the exhilaration you feel from getting out in the fresh air for a jog, or from a fun weekly dance fitness class.

Taking the time to connect with exercise on an emotional level will help you achieve your fitness goals in the long run, and you’ll begin to love it again.

Fitting It In

Think of exercise as something you just can’t live without, like food and water. This way you’ll commit to daily exercise and add to it your schedule just like any other appointment.

Develop a “move more” attitude by reminding your body to get more movement throughout the day in everything you do. Sit less, walk more. Park far from stores, and squat to pick something up.

Finding the Motivation

Some of the biggest reasons for not exercising are that we don’t have the proper motivation. Motivation can come in the form of a personal trainer or a regular weekly fitness class that you have to attend.

Fitness apps can be very motivational as it’s something you can follow and do just about anywhere. If you feel like exercising in the park, all you need is your app, a good spot, and a positive attitude!

There are plenty of health apps that record your daily steps, what you’ve eaten during the day, and how many hours you’ve slept. Seeing that you’ve only taken 600 steps in the day get you motivated to get out for a walk and see it change to the thousands. If you are interested in using a fitness app, reach out to me to learn more about Beachbody On Demand.

November 21, 2017 by Heather

How to Build Muscle Naturally

Let’s face it. Deep down inside we all want to look super fit! Lean and mean, and built like a machine! And there is no shortage at all for magazines, products, and supplements all promising us that six-pack we so desperately want!

Anyone can build muscle naturally without using any help from steroids. All it takes a whole lot of commitment, effort, discipline, along with a heavy dose of determination!

Most people envision their body transformation taking shape from a combination of weight-loss and muscle gain.

But how is it done exactly? (more…)