You Can Still Be Unhealthy Eating Organic...

I was speaking with a new client and I asked them about their diet. Their response, “Oh, I eat all organic! I eat super healthy.” This client’s goal was to lose 15-20 pounds as they were currently around 25-30% bodyfat. In my mind, something wasn’t adding up. If the client thinks they are eating healthy, and yet, they are 20 pounds overweight, there has to be more to eating healthy than just eating organic. For example, here are a few organic foods I would deem unhealthy to eat (especially in larger quantities):

All of these products are certified organic and are packed with empty calories and tons of sugar. Is eating organic better than eating crap? Yes. But just because you are eating organic doesn’t mean you are eating healthy. I would much rather see someone looking at the quality of calories and macronutrients over organic. Heck! I would much rather see micronutrient density (vitamins and minerals) over organic.

Rather than pushing people to eat organic I usually give these 3 steps to cleaning up your diet:

1. Eat more protein-Most food logs I see are deficient in protein. Protein is satiating (fills you up), and is the building block for cells in the body. Shoot for at least a palmful of lean protein in every meal.

2. Water, Tea, and Black Coffee Only-If you are getting started with a nutrition plan, you are probably used to drinking soft drinks and alcoholic beverages packed with empty calories. By simply cutting out the crap, you are going to start dropping fat and feeling better.

3. When you eat, eat-Most people squeeze eating into their busy lives. This usually leads to lack of mindfulness around the types of foods they are eating and the quantities. I tell clients when they are eating, they aren’t doing anything else (talking with friends and family at the dinner table is fine). But you shouldn’t mindless shoveling food into your face.

If you are looking to make some dietary changes, stop obsessing over organic and get the basics down first. Then down the line (if necessary) you can move toward areas like organic foods. Navigating your nutrition can be challenging, but having an experienced coach to guide you along the way can save you time, stress, and money. Click the link below to get started today!

Holiday Survival Guide

You have all the best intentions of sticking with your healthy habits through the holidays, and then WHAM! You look down on the scale on Jan. 1 and you put on 10 lbs.! How can this be?

Putting on weight (or losing muscle mass) during the holidays is a common thing, but we can take some simple steps to minimize drastic changes. Here are my 3 fitness tips to survive the holidays.

1. Keep getting your workouts in-Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you skip your workouts. Set your alarms, put it in your calendar, or tell a loved one/friend that you need to stick your your workout regimen. Yes, you might celebrate a little more during this time of the year, but setting aside 30 minutes to an hour four times per week to get a sweat in will set you up for success when the holidays pass.

2. Drop the Guilt and Shame-Having a few drinks or enjoying the holiday cookies WILL NOT derail all of your progress. However, hanging on to guilt and shame for enjoying yourself will. All G and S will do is pull you away from what you truly are…a healthy person! Drop these two unwanted guests during the holiday time and when the new year hits, you’ll be off to the races.

3. Enjoy, but don’t make it a sport-Like I said above, enjoy your favorite desserts or a drink with your friends, but don’t make it a contest in how full or drunk you can get. The simplest way to avoid this is TRACK YOUR DRINKS/DESSERTS. I know that seems odd, but yes, if you track these things it will prevent you from overdoing it. How? Awareness. I can’t tell you how many times I have asked clients how many drinks they have in a week and they have undershot by 50-100%! If you track your metrics, you will minimize the damage while still being able to love the holidays. During the next holiday party, cap your adult beverages to 2 (preferably something will low sugar content) and move on!

With a few simples steps, you can make it through the holidays and actually feel MORE motivated when the ball drops. Of course, having an experienced coach to guide you through uncharted waters makes things A LOT easier. Click the link below to receive world class coaching today!

How I Calculate My Calories

Earlier this week, I talked about how you can leverage particular foods for muscle gain and fat loss. I used the term “maintenance calories” to describe the number of calories you need to take in to remain the same weight. To determine quantity of maintenance calories, I use the calorie estimator from Precision Nutrition.

The calculator is super simple to use, and will give you an estimate of calories based on your goal (fat loss, longevity, performance, muscle gain, etc.) and factors like activity level, exercise frequency, and exercise intensity. It even gives you the breakdown of macros and what that looks like in a simple comparison to your hand (For example how many palmfuls of protein you should be having daily).

This information is only as powerful as the person who wields it. If you need help identifying road blocks and coming up with strategies to overcome them, I’m here to help! Click the link to start working on your nutrition today!

Leveraging Food For Muscle Gain/Fat Loss

When looking to add muscle or lose fat, it goes without saying that you should be diligent about the foods you consume. However, there are certain foods that you can leverage to add or lose weight. Let’s cover putting on weight.

When looking to add muscle mass to your frame, it is customary to utilize a caloric surplus. In other words, you want to be eating more calories than you burn (both through your basal metabolic rate and activity). This surplus creates an environment for your body to have readily available resources to deploy protein synthesis and tissue repair (assuming you are exercising and lifting weights to break down muscle so you can grow). One should shoot for roughly 300 calories above their maintenance calories per day to create the surplus. The problem most people run into is they end up eating A LOT of extra food to get to that 300 calories (especially if you aren’t eating a micronutrient deprived processed foods diet…in which case…it’s really easy to overeat). If you are eating a clean diet, you may want to leverage nuts and nut butters to get into a surplus. Typically, 2 tablespoons of nut butter or 9 hazel nuts equals 180 calories. As you can see it would pretty easy to add a little nut butter to your breakfast, or a snack after dinner to consume the extra calories, rather than eating 10oz. of chicken breast.

When looking to lose bodyfat, you want to utilize a caloric deficit. Typically, after a maintenance phase, we would remove 300 calories from your diet to create the deficit. That may not seem like a lot, and that’s the point, you are slowly coaxing your body to burn off excess fat in order to keep up with the bodies “set point.” The “set point” is the calories needed to remain the same weight. If your metabolism is set to 3,000 calories, and you bring your caloric intake down to 2,700 calories, you body will have to burn it’s own fat in order to make up the caloric need. This gives you the potential to lose bodyfat. Because you are used to eating a certain volume of food, you can utilize vegetables to make up the difference. For instance, say you wanted to cut 100 calories from your breakfast and you typically eat two pieces of toast. Instead of the toast, you can have a cup of roasted mushrooms, which really don’t have an appreciable amount of calories. I would included any green leafy vegetables in this category as well as the breakdown of the fiber actually keeps these foods at zero or even negative calories.

This is a complex topic with many nuances, and I will try to unpack them as best as I can in upcoming posts. If you are anxious to learn more or get started with your own nutrition plan, I’m here to help! Click the link below to get started today and let’s put on some muscle, or lose the fat today!

Is A Ketogenic Diet Right For You?

Whether from the internet, magazines, and or social media, you have probably heard of the ketogenic diet before. The ketogenic diet promotes amazing fat loss and other health benefits. But what is a ketogenic diet, what are the benefits, and is the ketogenic diet right for you?

First, what is a ketogenic diet? When fasting we deplete liver glycogen (a stored carbohydrate) and the body tends to shift into a state of ketosis. In this state ketone bodies (produced from fat) are used in place of glucose for most energy needs, but in particular by the brain. Because glucose (and some other foods particular to the individual) will bump you out of ketosis, the diet consists mainly of higher fat, moderate protein, and little to no carbohydrates (mimicking the affects of the fast by using ketones as fuel). Note: though this is a “low carb diet” you can still not be in ketosis and be low carb. Remember, even a little amount of carb timed incorrectly can kick you out of ketosis and impede fat utilization.

Second, what are the health benefits?

• Burn stored body fat

• stable blood sugar

• improved sleep

• decreased hunger

• consistent energy throughout the day

• decreased inflammation

• mitochondrial biogenesis

• enhanced cognition

• improved blood lipids

• decreased disease potential

So, yeah, there is a lot of good when it comes to the ketogenic diet.

Lastly, is the ketogenic diet right for you? That depends. First question to ask, “Does a ketogenic diet fit my lifestyle?” If you have kids, travel often for work, don’t cook, and aren’t diligent about food choices, then a ketogenic diet might not be a great fit for you.

On the other hand, if you check those boxes, and the benefits match your goals, then a ketogenic diet if for you. Later this week, I’ll dive into some commonly asked questions about the ketogenic diet, so stay tuned!

Ultimately, its difficult to make this decision on your own, which is where an experienced nutrition coach can help! Click below to get started today and lets find the perfect diet for you!

Are Pesticides Causing Obesity?

More research is coming out against the widespread use of pesticides. In a recent study published by McMaster University, researchers discovered that chlorpyrifos, which is banned for use on foods in Canada but widely sprayed on fruits and vegetables in many other parts of the world, slows down the burning of calories in the brown adipose tissue of mice. Reducing this burning of calories, a process known as diet-induced thermogenesis, causes the body to store these extra calories, promoting obesity. Scientists made the discovery after studying 34 commonly used pesticides and herbicides in brown fat cells and testing the effects of chlorpyrifos in mice fed high calorie diets.

My take? Mice studies can offer some insight into the complex problem of obesity in humans. However, we have to balance this out with practicality. Everything can be potentially harmful in specific doses. Read this if you don’t believe me! Thought organic fruits and vegetables are less toxic and use fewer pesticides than non-organic, you don’t have to buy everything organic (and in some cases it’s a complete waste of money!). These 12 foods should be bought organic because of their propensity to soak up pesticides in their skin, flesh, and leaves:

1. Strawberries

2. Spinach

3. Kale

4. Nectarines

5. Apples

6. Graps

7. Peaches

8. Cherries

9. Pears

10. Tomatoes

11. Celery

12. Potatoes

Outsides of these foods, you should be in the clear!

Looking for some extra help in your diet? Stuck on which foods you should or shouldn’t be buying? I’m here to help! Click the link below to get started!

Post Workout Nutrition for Ageless Athletes

Are you an ageless athlete who is confused about post workout nutrition? In today's video, I break down exactly how many gram of protein and carbs you should be consuming after your workouts. Spoiler alert: it depends on the workout and your goals! I also show you my favorite smoothie recipe that I use to enjoy a great post workout smoothie after my workouts:

Recipe (added in order):

• 1 Cup (8oz) Ocean Spray Unsweetened Cherry Juice

• 1 Cup (140g) Frozen Mixed Berry Bend

• 1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Protein

If you need help sticking to a diet, I'm here to help! Click below to get started now!

Add to Lose Weight!

When I sit down with a nutrition client, one of the first things they ask, “What am I going to have to give up?” Yes, eating healthy is going to come with some changes, but we tend to look at things we are going to have to give up, instead of adding in the healthy foods that are going to replace the unhealthy ones. Using this mindset, it’s easier to make the necessary adjustments.

Here are three add-ons to your current diet that will have you feeling better and eating healthier in no time:

1. Water-Yes, this sounds simple. But drinking more water can be tricky for some. I am not asking you to give up your favorite beverages, but only to add a glass of water after you drink one. Enjoy coffee in the morning? Add a glass of water after you drink it. How about a diet coke? Grab a glass of water! Lastly, that glass of wine after a long day…water! By the end of the day you are staying hydrated and already feeling better. And you didn’t even have to give up any of the habits you already have.

2. Vegetables- “I can never find a place to add vegetables.” Well now you can! Add a cup of chopped frozen spinach to your omelet. Eat a handful of baby carrots when you eat a cookie. The key is you don’t need to change anything you are currently eating, just add some vegetables.

3. Multivitamin- In the morning you brush your teeth. Keep your multivitamin by your tooth brush. Before you brush your teeth, take your vitamin. It may not seem like much, but it’s a step in the right direction.

As you can see, the mindset of what you can’t have is blocking you from all the awesome decisions you can be making without even having to change your current diet! Adding is an amazing first step in changing your nutrition for the better. And it gets even more fun after we take a look at some of the habits and stories that keep us from changing our health. That’s where I come in. I help support and advise you on how to eat, train, and think differently about your health. To see what it’s all about, book a free assessment where I walk you through the process. Let’s get started today!