The importance of FEELING great! Embracing the healthiest YOU

Lookin good in my socks and sandals :)

I was inspired this week listening to a podcast with yogi girl Kathryn Budig. She was talking about how she likes her yoga classes to focus more on how their bodies feel rather than how they look. This got me thinking, if we all lived this way, how different would our self-esteem be?! If we had never been exposed to a mirror, or any reflective surface to see ourselves, would we have the negative self talk that we do?

I've come to realize how much I love teaching outdoor fitness classes. I think that a big part of why they are so fun is that there aren't any mirrors. People aren't in class checking themselves out the whole time, or looking at how they compare to the people around them. The participants are more focused on the workout. Nobody is there dressed to impress. It's a fun and uplifting environment. 

So much of the fitness industry is so focused on looks, and the sexiness of it all. Girls are posing practically naked showing off what a healthy body should look like to the world, and thats what we're supposed to look like. I would be lying if I said I didn't care about looking good. Its definitely part of why I workout the way I do & eat the way I do. But another huge part of it is how awesome it makes me feel! I have energy and I'm capable of so much more when I feel good and take care of my body. The confidence it gives me helps me be a better friend, coach, wife, daughter, you name it! I don't like the way I FEEL when I don't workout. I'm more cranky and irritable, and I'm less productive in my day.  

My favorite part about this mindset is that feeling good & being healthy can look so different on different people. Someone can look skinny and flawless on the outside but on the inside they're sick & seriously craving some carbs. Someone else can be carrying around what may look like some extra pounds, but she could beat anyone up the mountain and feel great while doing it. What I'm saying is there's not a perfect body type. I think that we each have a unique body shape and size that we feel our best and most confident with, but it's most likely very different from our neighbors healthy size. Some women feel awesome with a muscly physique, while other women feel their best when they're more petite and "lady like". Some women have curves, some women are more straight. I think it's important for each of us to remember that we all have our own preferences and confident zones, but that doesn't mean we should push that on someone else or judge others if they don't fit into that mold. The fitness industry portrays the "perfect body" on all the magazine adds and instagram feeds, but that does not mean its the healthiest look for everyone. A lot of those models go through weeks of craziness to get their bodies cover model ready. But the other 350 days of the year they don't look like that. A lot of my videos that I post on instagram are in the morning, after I've been working out, so my stomachs going to be leaner than if I posted a video right after a meal. Our bodies are meant to adjust and fluctuate a little, no body is perfect 24/7. My hope is that by pointing this out, we can all feel a little more confident in our own skin and focus on the shape and size that YOU feel best in. Not the body that the fitness magazine says is best, or what's best for your friends.

Feeling healthy and confident is so much more important than looking a certain way. Ya its great to have goals to look good in your swimsuit or whatever, but maybe shift those goals to FEELING confident in your swimsuit. I'm not saying you should settle for a body that's out of shape, but I'm just pointing out that your in shape, healthy body doesn't need to fit some made up, cookie cutter mold. If you know you're healthy weight that you FEEL the best at is down a few pounds from where you are, then heck lets work towards that. But if you're just wanting to lose pounds to look like a covergirl, you probably aren't going to be satisfied even if you get there. Accepting what's healthy for US will be a game changer in our pursuit for confidence. We can relax a little, knowing that as long as we feel good and healthy (being real with yourself, taking care of our bodies with diet, exercise, & sleep) than it doesn't matter if you're not a size 2. Work on healthy for YOU. You have a unique shape and size, embrace it and work it girl. 

COMBATTING THE CRAVE ZONE

Its 2:30, you ate your healthy salad lunch 2 hours ago, and your not planning on dinner for another 4 hours, and you're STARVING. You’ll eat anything, especially that chocolate bar you know you have stashed under your desk. You start fantasizing about all the things you want to eat. That chocolate donut, a giant startbucks Muffin, the bag of dorritos from the vending machine, the list gets worse and worse. Can you relate? It happens to the best of us. That time of day, in between meals, when the hunger and cravings hit. I call this the Crave Zone. It's a common thing, and I see it in my clients. They’ll send me their food logs and it's awesome, and then they write “I was so hungry around 3:00 so I just grabbed the first thing I could” which is usually a cookie sitting on the counter or something along those lines. Some simple changes in our day can turn the Crave Zone into a metabolism boosting-hunger curbing awesome zone if we play our cards right. Here are my tips:

1)    Start your day right. A big contributor to hunger throughout the day is what we have for breakfast. Make sure you have some protein and some healthy fat in your breakfast so that you have something for your body to burn throughout the day. (check out more awesome breakfast recipes in my Sculpted for Summer program here).

2)    Be prepared. Always have a healthy snack easy access for that time of day. It takes a little prep and planning in advanced, but it will be a game changer for you. If you know you are going to be out and about, pack something in your purse. Or if you are home, stock your fridge with go to healthy snacks. Some of my favorites are dry roasted nuts, peanut butter and an apple, String cheese, veggies and hummus. There are a ton of more ideas in my meal plans hear.

3)    Remove the Junk. When hunger and cravings strike, our sub conscience tells us to reach for the easiest, closest thing. If we leave junk food and treats out on the counter, that's what we're going to reach for! Throw out the candy bowls and the cupcake stand. Instead, chop up a veggie tray with a homemade dip ready to go in your fridge, or have a bowl of fruit on the counter to suggest a healthy snack. 

Don’t think you have to persevere through 5 hours of hunger until dinner, you should listen to your body and have a snack. The important part is to make it a good snack and to be prepared! Now that Crave Zone doesn’t stand a chance against your combatting skills. 

My Top 5 Tips: How to Sculpt a 6 Pack

The million dollar question: How do I get a six pack??

This is one of those questions that if I made a dollar off every time someone asked me, I would be a wealthy trainer. And I’m sure you’ve asked it yourself (unless you're one of those genetically blessed hybrid humans with a permanent ninja turtle shell). But for the majority of humans, it's a challenge. You may follow “six pack ab” posts and bust out some sit ups every chance you get, but the abs just don’t seem to cooperate with the program. Before we jump into my tips for sculpting abs, I want to point out some factors that play a role in ab development.

1. First of all, there is a genetic factor. And this my friends, is something we can’t do a thing about. Our bodies have a genetic code that decide where we store more fat, and where it burns more fat. Some people just naturally carry their weight in their midsection, while others carry it in their butt, or evenly dispersed throughout the entire body. That being said, if you don’t have genetic abs, it doesn’t mean its impossible for you to have them. It simply means you just need to put in a little more effort than someone who does. 
2. The Child Bearing factor. Whether you’ve had kids or not definitely plays a roll in ab development. I’ve worked with a lot of women before, during, and after pregnancy and a common theme is they obviously want to lose there baby weight and fix the mid section. This is totally doable but I always stress the importance to woman to build a strong core BEFORE they get pregnant. You will have a much easier time getting back your shape post baby if you have some muscles already in there to build upon. Obviously child bearing changes your body, so your body most likely won’t be exactly how it was before, but I have worked with several woman post pregnancy who have got in even better shape than their pre-baby body. Again, it just takes a little more effort than before. Also, you don't want to jump right into sit ups post baby, but start strengthening with rotating side planks, and similar exercises so you abs grow back together. I am designing a post baby program so stay tuned in for that. 

Alright now lets get to the good stuff. Here are my top tips for sculpting your abs.

1. What you eat: You’ve heard it before, Abs are made in the kitchen. Its true. The main reason people don’t have visible abs is because they are hidden underneath a layer of fat. One way to reduce that layer is by eating a healthy diet. First order of caution: LOWER SUGAR INTAKE and CUT OUT ALCOHOL. Just by cutting out processed sugars and alcohol you will start to notice a huge difference. Try to keep your daily intake under 32g of sugar (that’s including sugar from fruit). Second order of caution: INCREASE VEGETABLE INTAKE. You should aim to get at least 2 cups of veggies in a day. This is not difficult if you practice replacing grains with veggies (adding zucchini to your morning oats, making sweet potato buns rather than bread, or cauliflower rice in place of white rice). Also adding greens to your smoothies is a big bonus. Awesome recipes in my Sculpted for Summer program here.
2. How you train: Another fabulous way to burn off that ab-hiding layer of fat is to do High Intensity Interval Training (or also known as HIIT). These are short bursts of exercise (usually 30 sec-1 min.) with short rest periods in between. The idea is that your full workout is a little bit shorter (around 30 min.) but you go all out for the time that you are working. You can go harder for 30 seconds than you can for a 6 mile run. This spikes your heart rate, uses more muscles, burns more calories, and actually turns your body to overtime fat burning mode after your workout is over. Rather than sticking to the same 5 mile run every day, mix it up with higher intensity cardio intervals and enjoy the fat burning benefits. Lots of HIIT in my training programs here.
3. What to train: You don’t need to end every workout with an ab routine. Abs are just like every other muscle group in our bodies, would you train your legs every day? Probably not. But for some reason people always want to end every workout with some ab work. This is unnecessary and may cause more harm than good. Instead, I recommend training abs 2-3 times per week, and train them good. Rather than just focusing on your frontal 6 pack muscles, target the entire core. This will make the whole area tighter and stronger. Your core includes everything from your shoulders down to your hips. Your abs, lower abs, obliques, back, the entire trunk.  And as you get stronger, progress the exercises! Hold your plank longer, add weight to your sit-ups, try adding sliders & stabilization exercises, pick up TRX. 
4. Remove the bloat: Along with the layer of fat, there’s a good chance there’s some bloat of excess water and gas covering up those precious abs. The week leading up to your swimsuit reveal, try removing these foods that tend to cause the bloat:

    • Salt

    • Cheese

    • Dairy Milk

    • Gluten

    • Beans & Legumes

    • Artificial Sweeteners (Sucralose, Sorbitol)

5)   Stand Tall: Something that most people over look is the importance of good posture and how you hold yourself throughout the day. Practice standing up tall and engaging your core muscles throughout the day. Imagine you’re wearing a corset. It may not seem like much, but over time, if you are using your core throughout the day, your torso will appear lengthened, better for ab display, and it will be stronger from the inside out. 

So there you have it, my top five tips for success in the Ab department. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t appear overnight, its a long slow process. I’ve seen my abs change over the past 4 years by following these tips. I didn’t notice the change day to day, or even week to week, but now looking back at pictures I can see the results and the progress made. Good things take time!

My No Excuse Approach to Fitness

How to overcome Inconvenient Circumstances. 

Being in the health/fitness industry, I’ve heard it all. From can’t find a babysitter, to I can’t or don’t want to pay for a gym, don’t have time for the gym, or I live in an apartment with no space to workout from home. I get it. Sometimes exercise isn’t the most convenient thing, unless we make it a priority in our lives. I’m here to show you how to overcome those excuses and that it is possible to get in shape no matter where you are, how much money you have, whether you have kids or not, or how crammed your space may seem.

I truly stand by my No Excuse approach to fitness and I’ve put it to the test this last year. Most health professionals (my previous self included) have access to all sorts of tools, gym space, equipment, etc. To those outside of the fitness industry it may be easy to think, well of course they’re ripped, they live at the gym. Well I want to address this stereotype and give hope to those people who may view their circumstances as not quite ideal for getting their body into the shape they’d like. I can’t completely speak for mothers with kids since I don’t have kids of my own yet. However, the majority of my clients are mothers and I’ve learned quite a lot from working with them on how to juggle schedules with kids, and that if made a priority, it can be done. Not only can it be done, but fitting in a workout can make you a better momma giving you more energy, endorphins, releasing stress, and not to mention you’ll be setting a good example for your kids to live a healthy life as well! Even if its just 15 minutes, it makes a difference. You can workout right from home while the babies napping, and the other kid is on your back (I’ve seen it done :) And if you ever feel dumb or embarrassed that you don't have all the cool gear or clothing or whatever the hype is, just owne it haha. Last week I went to a Yoga class in Paris and I don't even have a mat here because we can't really buy stuff like that since we don't have room to take it home. So I was the only one in the class slipping around on my raggedy towel haha. Oh well, I got a good laugh out of it. I could've let that stop me, but I just embraced it. 

This last year my husband and I have been living abroad in Europe. We started traveling last June from Salt Lake, to New York, to Iceland, then made our way to Germany where we lived for 6 months. In January of this year we moved to Paris where we will be for another 6 months. It’s been amazing. We’ve had some trying times, ups and downs, but the growth and experiences have been irreplaceable. One of the differences with adjusting to life here has been not having access to a gym. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Starting off our travels, I was coming from a schedule where I was working out hard at the gym for at least an hour each day, with full access to any equipment I wanted for free. When we were first on the road I was struggling. I go a little crazy if I don’t get my workout in for the day. But we walked a ton and I lowered my consumption of food. (remember the equation of exercise more = eat more & exercise less = eat less. Typically your hunger levels will reflect this). When we got a little more settled in Germany I searched around for gyms but it’s just different than in the states. We were in a smaller town so there weren’t really gyms in our area. Another important detail is the fact that we have been living on an extremely tight “Intern in Europe” budget. We haven’t really had room in our budget to pay European gym prices. So in the mean time, I got out my energy with morning runs exploring our new home. I scoped out some awesome playgrounds nearby that have turned into my favorite gyms. Circumstances that are not ideal lead us to practice creativity, which I’ve totally embraced. 

I brought a few easy to pack items from home with me. These are items I recommend investing in. They are affordable and make for an easy hotel room workout when you’re on the go. A ‘perform better’ booty band, a heavy resistance band, my homemade felt sliders, and thats about it. With those small and simple items, combined with body weight, and our neighborhood play ground, I’ve been able to keep my body in tip top shape (or at least at a happy place) and get in some serious butt kicking workouts. Three months into the internship I got a job with a small women’s gym in the city where I had access to some equipment and gym space for free. It came in good timing for the colder months which was really nice. I took full advantage of the weights while I had them. I love body weight exercises and cardio, but I crave lifting heavy and I love the way it shapes my body and the way it makes me feel. So I did have that which I know was a nice and convenience, but not a necessity which is the point I’m trying to make. 

So fast forward a few months to Paris. Its January, its cold, we’re on an even tighter budget, and we have a small apartment. I can’t get a job at a gym because I don’t have a work visa. So a few more things going against us this time. But again, where there’s a will there’s a way. We were blessed to find an apartment very close to an amazing park. It has hills, stairs, benches, playgrounds, and open space. This is stuff you can typically find at any city park near you, and it’s really all you need! You can check out my Sculpted for Summer 8 week program for demo pics of all these exercises at the park. I use the playground swings to do my TRX suspension trainer exercises, I use the benches for step ups, decline push ups, box jumps, the list goes on and on. I use the surroundings for hill sprints, stair drills, lunges, and they even have a pull up bar at the play ground to work on my pull-ups, chin-ups, hanging ab exercises, you name it. You can even use monkey bars to play around with. I use my resistance bands at the park as well, mixing body weight, bands, and swings. In our tiny apartment I’ve managed to put in some work with the small space. I use my sliders, our step latter, I even rig up the resistance band in the window, and the couches and chairs are always there to change up the angles of my push ups or planks. About a month into this I was craving some weight again. My husband and I were brainstorming, what can we use for weight? I had filled up my camelback backpack with water, used some giant water bottles for arm work, but this still wasn’t cutting it. We did some more brainstorming and finally found it. We built our own sandbag. It’s been awesome (I have a complete how to guide with my 8 week program). Its about 50 pounds. We use it for squats, chest presses, kettle bell swings, back rows, sled pushes on our kitchen floor, and basically any move you can do with dumbbells, but it gets way harder due to the floppiness of the sand. Everything quickly becomes a full body exercise, with a focus on the core. It’s great because we can dump out the sand and take it with us. We plan to take it on our trip to the coast this weekend and fill it up on the beach there for some post-surf morning workouts. 

So there you have it. Some extra ideas and proof that it doesn’t take fancy equipment or a lot of money to get in shape, or maintain your shape, depending on what stage you’re at in your fitness journey. Whether you’re low on time, money, babysitters, or whatever the excuse, I know you can do it! And if you’re wanting a little extra motivation and direction, download my 8 week program here. You can see pictures of me at the park demonstrating each workout and how you can make it work with the equipment you have available to you. Our health is the best investment we can make! Our bodies are our permanent homes here on earth, lets give them the maintenance and love they deserve. 

Chocolate Chicken in Paris!

This past Saturday I was lucky enough to go to a cooking class in Paris. It was right at one of the booths at the street market. We learned how to make Chicken with a Spicy Chocolate sauce. I know, doesn't seem very french. It's actually a South American Dish, kind of ironic huh! haha but wherever it's from it is delicious! And healthy too! you get all the benefits of the dark cacao, with its antioxidents and nutrients, with the protein in the chicken, and pair it with some brown rice for a complete meal! Plus, who doesn't want more excuses to add chocolate to their life?

I put together the recipe here for you so you can try it on your own, let me know how it goes! I tried to do my best with the measurement conversions since they use grams here, so feel free to adjust it according to taste if its not quite right. Bon appétit!!

INGREDIENTS:

20g / 1.5 TBS ground almonds (almond flour)

20 g / 1.5 TBS toasted sesame seeds

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cloves

¼ teaspoon of Espelette

¼ teaspoon paprika

120 g/ 1/2 C / 1 small white onion

1 garlic clove

50 g/2 long carrots 

8 fresh cilantro stems

5 grinds of 5 bay seasoning

50 cl chicken stock (or water + cube poultry)

salt

40 g/ 1/4 C dark chocolate 80%

40 g/ 1/4 C dark chocolate pastry

200 g/ 1 C brown rice

DIRECTIONS:

For sauce-

chop the white onion.

Peel, grate and then finely chop the carrots.

Heat a frying pan (deep enough) over medium heat, pour a trickle of oil. Saute the chopped white onion.

Add spices: cinnamon, cloves, paprika, Espelette pepper, 3 grinds of 5 bays.

Then add: chopped carrots, almonds, sesame seeds. Mix well. Add the chicken broth. Season with a little salt if necessary.

Simmer for approximately 15 minutes.

Mix everything in a blender or with a hand blender.

Return the sauce to the heat. Add the chocolate, stir to dissolve. Adjust seasoning.

For Chicken:

Season the chicken with salt and supreme few grinds of 5 bays, color them in a hot pan with a drizzle of oil. Transfer to a baking dish.

Fifteen minutes before serving, place your chicken supremes in preheated oven at 200 ° C (400 F) Cook for 10 minutes.

For Rice-

1. Rinse the rice. In a pan put 1 part rice to 2 parts cold water + a little salt. Bring to a boil (starting with cold water). Once the water is absorbed, reduce heat (thermostat 2) and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Chop coarsely coriander and mix the cooked rice.

To serve:

Arrange the chicken on top of 1/2 C rice and cover with chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds & cilantro.

Top 5 Tips on Getting Sculpted for Summer

It's April and Spring time is in full swing. The trees are blossoming, the birds are chirping, the snow is melting, the days are getting longer, and dreams of our summer vacations are almost reality. So there's all this hype about slimming down for summer, bikini bodies, booty short butt lift, the list goes on. So why did I choose Sculpted for Summer? Wellllll believe it or not, there was actually more thought put into it than the obviously catchy ring. 

When we think of summer, I think most of us automatically associate it with swimsuits. And depending on how our winter discipline has gone, we may cringe at the thought and quickly go shop for the best cover-ups. One of the worst things is that feeling of anxiety over our bodies, and we've all experienced it! Even the people we think have the perfect body have felt it. I want to help remove that feeling for as many women as I can (men are welcome to join as well). But I don't want to approach it as a "quickly lose 10 pounds for summer" kind of plan. And it's definitely not a "don't eat, live on the elliptical" kind of plan. I want to improve your confidence from the inside out. I've found that even if your body doesn't change at all in regards to weight or size, just working out on its own brings confidence. By pushing yourself through hard things, and totally crushing your workouts, you prove to yourself that you can do it, and you are worth it.  

One of my favorite moments with a clients was with a young mom of 2 kids came home from a vacation and told me that she couldn't be happier. They almost missed their connecting flight, but with 2 kids in her arms, and 3 bags, she sprinted through that airport and made it in record time. She was so proud of herself, and I was stoked. All of her hard work through our workouts together had paid off not only in her dress size, but in real life events. She was glowing with confidence.

I've put a lot of time and love into this program and I know it will bring you that confidence. Whether it's for suiting up for a day at the beach, or racing through the airport, you'll be ready. I've prepared you with over 30 healthy recipes that are easy and delicious, a meal guide with portion control, balanced meal planning, complimented with daily workouts that are designed for total body toning and sculpting to turn your body into a fat burning machine. Thats not all, there's 111 pages total packed with goodness! 

To get you started, here are my top 5 tips on getting Sculpted for Summer:

1.  Lift heavy weights! If you're still scared to lift heavy, get over it.  You turn into a man. To simplify the equation, muscle burns fat, the more muscle you have, the more fat you'll burn, and your body will turn into a lean mean, sexy machine. (There's obviously more to it than that but thats the main idea). You can burn far more calories with an intense weight session than hours on the cardio machines.
2. Eat Fat to Burn Fat: Yes, its true. forget about the low-fat diet your aunts used to do. When we consume the right dietary fats (Omega-3, nuts, seeds, fish, avocado, olive oil) our body learns to use fat as an energy source. Plus, you'll be satisfied and fuller for longer! Not to mention all the nutrients and goodness packed into these foods
3. Protein and Fiber are your Friends: Post workout, refuel with protein and fiber to help your muscles repair, and curb your appetite. Also benefit from the awesome metabolism boosting effects. Some of my favorite combo's are apples and peanut butter, Protein shakes, vegetables and hummus, a veggie omelette, you get the idea.
4. Use your full body! The more muscle fibers you're working, the more calories you are going to burn. I use a lot of combo moves in this program to maximize calorie burn. Some examples from this program are Squat & Shoulder press, Lunge with a core twist, Plank with leg lifts, etc. I love combo moves because you get more bang for your buck! 
5. You can't out exercise a bad diet: This is why I have included lots of advice and guidance for your eating in this program. Abs really are made in the kitchen! doing sit ups all day long is not going to get you that six pack. I don't teach a restrictive or depriving diet, but it does take some discipline to get results. One of my favorite quotes, and one that I highlight in the program is "Discipline is Freedom". Put in the work now, and you will be able to live a more flexible life later on. When we train our bodies right and fuel them properly, they perform better for us in return and become more efficient at burning off an occasional treat.

So there you have it, some jumpstart tips to get the ball rolling. I hope you enjoy this program and can't wait to see the progress and all of your glowing confidence!

Start Sculpting for Summer here!