Nutrition 101:

Now that you guys have your nutrition plan lined up for the next 7 weeks I wanted to send along some tips and tricks on meal prepping. As Coach Joel mentioned, meal prepping is a huge asset when it comes to preparing healthy, satiating meals that will fuel your body and taste good. I know the task of batch prepping food for the week can seem daunting but remember this, meal prepping:

• Saves time throughout your week by taking the guesswork / planning out of every meal
• Can save money by allowing you to buy items in bulk then freeze for use later and avoid eating out
• Helps better manage portion sizes
• Helps to make mealtime less stressful by having it pre-prepared
• Cultivates a better relationship with food as you mindfully choose which ingredients to use for the week

Here are some tips to help you build your momentum during this, "preparation," week!

Tip 1: Vary your proteins - even if you're cooking the same kind of meat like chicken for example try to make some of it shredded, some baked, some roasted with vegetables, etc. to create different flavor profiles

Tip 2: Pick versatile sides: Look for foods that work in a few different dishes. For example, you might use quinoa to make a side dish, add to a salad, or as part of a grain bowl for lunch.

Tip 3: Commit to a prep day: Pick a day of each week to prep as many of your dishes as you can. And make it fun! Put on some music. Invite a friend over to share the work and the food!

Tip 4: Think about cooking time: On prep day, start with foods that need the most time on the stove or in the oven: cooking meat, roasting vegetables, soaking or simmering beans, making quinoa. Once you have those going, you can do quicker tasks like washing lettuce or chopping veggies into handy snack sizes.

Tip 5: Consider portioning it out: If portion control is a sticky spot for you then divide recipes into ready-to-go single servings (also a time saver). Put each serving in a re-sealable plastic bag or glass container.

Use these recommendations to get the ball rolling this week. Jot down additional tips and tricks that you pick up along the way to make meal prepping your bestie rather than a chore and always feel free to share your "finds," with the rest of the group so everyone can "feed," off of one another's progress. You got this!

Mindset Motivation:

This week we are talking all things energy (queue the ooooo's and aaaaahh's!). If you recall from our mindset seminar I explained that we are energetic beings living within a sea of....well, ENERGY! Think of energy like a silent superpower. It's available to us in every moment to understand whether we are aligned with our inner guidance or something is amiss and, we can harness energy to change our circumstances. Bet you didn't know you were that powerful but you are!

In order to address and utilize energy for our highest good we first have to become aware of it. This week's mindset assignment is to build our energy awareness. To become observant of the people, places and things that leave us feeling high vibrational energy (i.e. feeling in the flow, less stressed, happy, content, balanced, etc.) and those that leave us feeling depleted (think anxiety, stress, weighted, depressed, worried, washed out, etc.). Once we cultivate that awareness we can then start to be proactive in how we approach such situations and help ourselves align with high vibrational / feel good energy and stay there. This week I challenge each of you to write down 3 times you noticed low energy and 3 times you experienced high energy. Jot down a few details regarding each encounter and we will use this next week to illuminate our path forward. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Cardio vs Weightlifting? What burns more calories 

If you are trying to lose weight, cardio and weightlifting are great options to help keep you on track and burn some extra calories (as well as a bunch of other health related benefits that we will go over below). But let’s just talk about calories.

Calories burnt during each of these types of workouts come in different forms.

CARDIO WORKOUTS

Research shows that cardio will burn more calories per session then weightlifting workouts of the same duration.  The number of calories you burn during exercise depends a variety of factors including age, weight, gender and workout intensity.

Benefits to Cardio:

1. Improves cardiovascular health
2. Lowers blood pressure
3. Helps regulate blood sugar
4. Aids in Sleep

WEIGHTLIFTING WORKOUTS

These workouts help you burn more calories throughout the day. There’s a two-fold explanation for this. First, research has shown that after you weightlift, a person can continue to burn calories from that strength session up to 38 hours post session. Some call this the “afterburn”. The afterburn is additional energy your body expends after you’ve finished exercising. The technical term, Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), helps explain the extra calorie burn. After a workout, your body uses oxygen and calories to remove lactic acid, repair muscles, and replenish stores of creatine, oxygen, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It’s during this recovery period that the afterburn effect takes place.

The second way weightlifting helps burn calories is that it builds muscle and muscle burns more calories at rest then other tissues, including fat.  Increases to your muscle mass help to increase your BMR (basal metabolic rate) or the amount of calories you burn at rest. On average, 1lb of muscle burns 6 calories daily compared to fat burning only 2 calories per pound per day.

Let’s look at that in the short term and the long term. A 150lb female that has 70lb of muscle will burn 420lbs calories a day. That’s 153,300 calories per year!  In comparison, a 150lb female that has 50lbs of muscle would burn 109,500 calories per year.

That’s around 12-13lbs per year difference in calories simply for having more muscle.

Benefits to Weightlifting:

1. Builds strength and stamina
2. Strengthens joints, ligaments and tendons
3. Increases Bone Density
4. Elevates your mood and reduces stress
5. Increases Confidence
6. Reduces your risk for injury

WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU

It depends! Although we recommend a mix for most of our clients it really depends on your goals and interests which is why setting specific and measurable goals is integral in improving your health and wellness. The best program is one that meets you were you're at, empowers you to make steady progress and provides a roadmap that you will stick to!