Clean Eating

Start With a Clean Slate

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Happy New Year! The start of 2017 marks a new opportunity to wipe the slate clean. It’s time to hit the reset button and gain a more pleasurable approach to fitness. Turn the page, and get off to a good start.  Replenish your body and re-energize your life.

“Change your food to change your mood.”

You already know the way you eat is central to your well being. But you may not know exactly what meals yield the most satisfying and healthful results. The back to basics, old fashioned approach to nourishing our bodies is truly the way to go. Making meals from scratch with whole foods, eliminating processed foods, and enjoying all the colours of the rainbow is your answer. A simple clean eating and exercise plan incorporated into your way of life will be the catalyst to making 2017 healthier and happier.

If a desire to wipe your fitness slate clean is on your 2017 resolutions and you are looking for some direction, don’t miss our New Year New You Challenge launching next Monday, January 9th.

Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year!
Meryl

green-drink

Featured Recipe

Anti Inflammatory Green Drink

Combine everything in a blender:
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 stemmed and chopped large kale leaf
1 chopped apple
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3-5 cubes of ice
Enjoy!

An Apple A Day

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apple-picking-1

“So what are you going to do with all the apples?” Said the Mom next to us on our way home from the apple picking adventure. As sure as back to school comes each year, so does the apple picking trip. Kind of like fair day in Texas, up here we have apple picking day.  And instead of turkey leg tacos, deep fried nachos, and deep fried oreos, there are warm apple donuts and apple pie. Mmmm. But that’s not what I’ll be doing with all the apples.

apple-picking

If you’ve got the 5 pound bag of apples (or 2 or 3 bags depending how many apple picking outings you got to go on) here are some of our favorite apple ideas:

  • Use a peeled, cored and chopped apple in your soup base along with the traditional carrot, celery, and onion. This adds a rich sweet flavor to puréed soups like butternut squash and pumpkin.
  • Peel, core and chop a large batch and toss in a pot. Simmer with a cup of water and cinnamon for a delicious home-made apple sauce. Add a spoonful of warm applesauce to your oats in the morning.
  • Julienne along with a cucumber for an amzing fresh and crispy salad.
  • Slice into 1/4 inch pieces and use as a crunchy base for appetizers instead of the traditional cracker or sliced baguette.
  • Toss slices with coconut oil and cinnamon and bake until soft.
  • Try this amazing (clean & gluten free!) apple crisp recipe:

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
8-10 apples; peeled, cored, and sliced
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Topping Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut oil, softened
1 cup raw pecans
3/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Toss the sliced apples with the spices and place inside a baking dish. Add all the crisp topping ingredients to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Spread the topping on top of the apples and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the apples are soft and bubbly. Enjoy!

Have a great week!

Meryl

My Top 3 Tips to get back on track after summer vacation ☀️

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As summer comes to an end and the back to school zone starts, it is the perfect opportunity to get back on track with your healthy lifestyle.

Even if you stayed on track with your workouts, the all-inclusive vacations, pool parties, and one too many late night bar b q’s full of wine & desserts may have wreaked havoc on your fitness goals this summer. If summertime variables interfered with your weight loss attempts, don’t despair. It’s called life, and enjoying life is not something to feel guilty about. There’s a beautiful thing called balance and the ability to get back on track.
palm tree
Take this opportunity of back to school time to not only get the kids organized but to also get your nutrition back in line.

My top 3 tips to get back on track after summer vacation:

1. Re-haul  the pantry & refrigerator
Give yourself the chance to reach for healthy foods. Fill the fridge with plenty of salad and veggies. Wash it in advance and have snack size veggies easy to grab. Focus on adding lean proteins to each meal. Here are some of my favorites: cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, vegan protein powder, tuna, salmon, and chicken.

2. Meal plan for the upcoming week
The only way to truly take control of your diet is to be proactive. Plan out the next meal or even the next 5 meals. I’m not saying  you have to cook something on Sunday and microwave it all week. Sure, meal prepping helps. But what I am saying is make a plan. Write the plan down. Buy the groceries. Have the plan of action and execute at meal time. Don’t leave room for the option of eating out.

3. Commit to at least 3 weeks of clean eating. 3 weeks is enough time to feel the actual benefits and re-establish your healthy habits.

I hope you look back at your summer vacation and enjoy the memories. Think fondly of the times enjoyed with family and friends. No guilt, no self sabotage, forge ahead and get back on track.

If you’re looking for more guidance and one on one accountability through this process, our Back to School Bootcamp starting September 6th is exactly for you. Sign up by August 27th and get $25 off! More details here.

Have a great week!
Meryl

Get your Groove Back

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Summertime, vacations, cook-outs, what’s your excuse? For me it was a bad landing on an exercise jump that left my knee in a big mess. Forget about squats and lunges, I was struggling to bend the leg enough to get in and out of the car. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) this happened right before taking the flight to our Florida family vacation. So initial plans of beach workouts, filming new videos for my online bootcamps, runs along the beach, and water aerobics changed to sitting in the chair, elevated leg, ice, and a good dose of patience. Maybe a little R&R isn’t so bad every now and then.

Despite billions of dollars spent on gym memberships, diet programs, etc., a recent paper published by the Mayo Clinic reports that fewer than 3% of American adults are living a healthy lifestyle.

Less than 3%. Wow! Just Feel it Fitness has a lot of work to do! 😉

The study defined living a healthy lifestyle as meeting these four parameters:

  • Being sufficiently active (150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week)
  • Eating a healthy diet
  • Being a nonsmoker
  • Having a recommended body-fat percentage (5%-20% for men, and 8%-30% for women)

The results of the study showed many people accomplished multiple healthy lifestyle goals. 16% met three of the healthy characteristics, 37% had two, but fewer than 3% met all four. Women were more likely to not smoke and to eat a healthy diet, and were less likely to be active, compared with men. Older individuals were more likely to be nonsmokers and healthy eaters, and were less likely to have a normal body-fat percentage and active enough.

Granted, this is only a study of 5,000 American adults, but the bottom line this study does an excellent job at providing four concrete steps anyone can take to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Things happen like injuries and vacations and busy periods at work. Life gets crazy. Getting back into a fitness groove can be tough. I know. But get your groove back. None of these steps are easy to take. However, even small improvements make a difference and any effort toward these 4 lifestyle goals can have a life changing impact. Become a nonsmoker, be sufficiently active, eat a healthy diet, and achieve a recommended body –fat percentage.

I’d love to help you towards meeting these healthy lifestyle criteria.  Do you need help getting your groove back?

Our next round of Summer Slim Down starts July 18th. This is a 6 week Challenge. For more details, click here.

Have a great week,
Meryl

Featured Recipe

Tuna Salad Boats

Tuna Salad Boats

Ingredients:
1 can tuna
1/2 very ripe avocado
1/2 cup chopped purple grapes
Splash of white wine or champagne vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Large Boston or Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:
Mash the avocado with a fork. Combine with all other ingredients. Spoon onto large lettuce leaves and eat like a taco.

Go Bananas

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“Bananas have too much sugar.”
“Bananas make you fat.”
“You should not eat bananas if you are trying to lose weight.”

Woah. Really? But I eat a banana every day. When I buy bananas at the store, I always buy 2 bunches! And just rarely they will turn brown before getting eaten, which in that case makes perfect bananas to freeze for smoothies or mash for oat ‘n egg banana pancakes!

So why the ridiculous banana bashing, claiming they make you fat? I think the bottom line comes down to sugar. Bananas do contain sugar, thus one might come up with the logic that bananas make you fat.

The reality is bananas contain natural sugar. Along with the natural sugars, the nutrient profile in bananas helps support a healthy and energized lifestyle. Bananas are packed full of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, biotin, copper, and manganese. The fiber in a banana is naturally occurring fiber, which means you’ll most likely feel more full and satisfied versus consuming a cereal or piece of bread containing isolated fiber. Isolated fibers are those added to increase its fiber content but not naturally found in the foods.

The healthy dose of potassium found in bananas can help diminish water retention, thus helping belly bloat. Additionally, potassium has been shown to lower blood pressure, sustain muscle mass, and preserve bone-mineral density. The vitamin B6 in a banana fulfills around 30-35 percent of the daily-recommended intake for adults. The benefits of vitamin B include treating anemia, promoting healthy nervous system functioning, producing energy from food, and maintaining healthy skin, eyes, hair, and liver. Vitamin B6 is found in most animal-based products, so for vegetarians and vegans, consuming a banana a day is a great way to attain almost half of the recommended intake.

I’m not saying to go bananas and consume them like a chimpanzee, but eating them in moderation (like any food!) is part of a healthy diet. I’m going to go enjoy a chocolate dipped frozen banana pop with the kids now. (Recipe below!)

Have a great week-end, would love to see you at my Lululemon Bootcamp in the Park this weekend!
Meryl

lululemon Bootcamp.JPG

Featured Recipe

Go Bananas

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Banana Pops

Ingredients:
Bananas
Dark chocolate
Coconut oil
Toppings: pistachios, sprinkles, chia seeds, coconut flakes, etc!

Directions:
For the kid-approved version, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 tsp coconut oil in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. For the healthier (can’t guarantee kid-approved) melt 3 tsp coconut oil with 3 tsp raw cacao powder. Poke popsickle sticks or straws through half a banana, dip in the chocolate, and roll in topping of choice.
Enjoy!

Who doesn’t love a good Challenge?

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push yourself

I love a good challenge. The feeling of working toward a lofty goal and accomplishing it at the end is an awesome feeling, right? Many of you heard me talking about my 60 day Master’s Hammer & Chisel Challenge I started back in January. This was an intense weight training program, a little different than the standard functional training I typically incorporate with clients. I would almost call the program something more like body building.

The Master’s Hammer and Chisel is an innovative resistance training system created by Autumn Calabrese and Sagi Kalev of Beachbody, professional trainers and fitness competitors. The program focuses on SSP Training: Stabilization, Strength, and Power. I set a goal to complete this 60 day body sculpting program, 6 days a week of resistance training for a total of 8 weeks. And it’s done, woohoo! And the honest truth is that it kicked my butt! But I stuck with the workouts, and am proud to have accomplished the full program. Some days I felt like it was more difficult than marathon training even though these workouts only take 30-45 minutes each day and marathon training is more along the lines of 45 minutes to 2 hours some days! My physical results from this program include more defined muscles and definite strength gains such as: improved push-ups, pull ups, chin ups, pistol squats, etc. The program calls for light, medium, and heavy weights and I used 10, 15, and 20 pounds accordingly. Do I look like a body builder? No! Do I feel stronger, leaner, and proud of completing a challenging program? Yes!
flex
With nicer weather upon us and summer just around the corner, I’d like to encourage you to find a challenge that will motivate you and push you out of your comfort zone. Commit to something that will push you and that you will feel proud and accomplished when done. Need some ideas? Sign up for a 5 or 10k run in your community. Join a triathlon training group.  Or why not join the Just Feel it Fitness 6 Week Summer Slim Down Challenge starting Monday, April 11th!  This 6 week Challenge will focus on clean eating, cardio and strength training workouts that you can complete from home with minimal equipment. I’m running an amazing promotion on this program, guaranteed to help you achieve phenomenal results! Just ask me for more info today.

After the Summer Slim Down Challenge, I’ll be working on getting ready for the Montreal Half Marathon in September. I would love to help you find a Challenge that will motivate and push you out of your comfort zone and into confidence. Let’s do it!

Have a great week,
Meryl

Featured Recipe

Nori wraps

Nori Wraps

Try this crunchy wrap instead of a sandwich for a light and delicious lunch.

Ingredients:
4 sheets Nori 

1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 mango, thinly sliced
Handful of alfalfa or pea sprouts
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:

Lay out 1 sheet of nori and moisten it by sprinkling water on it. Place the vegetables along one end and roll it up into a wrap! Enjoy!

Recipe from “The All-Day Fat-Burning Diet” by Yuri Elkaim.

Sensible Snacking

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Snacking is no longer an occasional treat. The majority of the population snacks at least once a day and consumes anywhere from 250-600 calories per day from snacks.  Snacks have an important role to play in our daily nutrition. They can expand nutrient intake, reduce hunger at mealtimes, improve hydration, and boost performance/endurance when eaten sensibly.

What is important to understand is when and why we are snacking. Snacking can occur for several reasons. Some common times people snack are:

After work and before dinner
Instead of eating lunch during the work day
During cooking
After dinner and before bed
While watching TV
To feel good/provide a reward
When socializing/celebrations

Most often, these reasons don’t lead to sensible snacking. Snacking should be seen as a way to increase energy and nutrient intake, but this will only occur when the right snacks are consumed at the right time.

We need to focus on why we are snacking. If we’re snacking for nutrition, then we should focus on adding nutrient-rich, whole food snacks. If we are snacking because of hunger, then we should focus on snacks that satiate by providing protein, fiber, and water. If we are snacking for convenience, then we need to focus on healthy grab and go options. If we are snacking because of low energy, then we need to stay away from high-sugar snacks, and focus on carbohydrate-rich foods that will boost energy. If we are snacking as a reward, then we must focus on mindfulness and portion size.

A simple formula for what makes up a sensible snack is a snack that contains foods from at least two food groups. The most satisfying snacks contain water, protein, and fiber.

Some of my favorite snacks include:

2 dates with 1 ½ tsp of peanut butter
Hard boiled egg and ½ sweet potato
Vegan Chocolate Shakeology
Cut veggies and hummus
Babybel cheese and an apple

Make sure to focus on why you are snacking. Mindless snacking can be detrimental to our fitness goals, while mindful snacking can bring on a wealth of nutrients into our bodies.

Have a great week,
Meryl

Featured Recipe

black bean brownie

Black Bean Avocado Brownies

Enjoy these fiber rich treats as a snack when you’re craving something sweet and decadent.

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/2 of a large extra ripe avocado
  • 1 teaspoon coconut or olive oil
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (important to use a VERY good quality powder!)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips of choice, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 8X8 baking pan. Place all ingredients besides chocolate chips into a food processor and pulse until ingredients form a thick batter. If batter is way too thick, add a teaspoon at a time of almond milk. Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips and spread into pan. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 20-24 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe from the Ambitious Kitchen Blog.

Why I stopped Juicing

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For years, I juiced daily. A delicious green juice flooding my body with nutrients and energy every single morning. A day could not go by that didn’t start with a green juice.
There are health fads that come and go and this is one I jumped on. I raved about my green juice to everyone I knew. Most of my close family members received juicers for Christmas presents so they could get on board too. Like most people’s coffee addictions, my day just didn’t seem to have started without the green drink. Yes it took a tremendous amount of produce and more importantly, time, to keep up with this daily habit. But I felt literally in my gut, that the benefits were worth it.
Friends would comment that my skin looked better than it had in years, I would credit the green juice.
I didn’t have nausea during pregnancy, I would give credit to my green juice.
I was always full of energy in the morning, I would credit my green juice.
I would even risk waking up my sleeping babies by the loud noise of the juicer because I just had to have the green juice.
So why did I stop juicing you must wonder?
It all started with trying something new. I was told about a superfood drink that could give you energy, help you lose weight, reduce cravings, lower your cholesterol, and flood your system with nutrient dense calories, and to top it off it tasted like chocolate. Sign me up I said. This was exactly one year ago. I started replacing my daily green drink with Shakeology. I have not looked back.
Here’s my honest review.
First off, I realized how much time my juicing habit was taking me in the morning to make and clean up. Even though I had the peeling down to an efficient art, it would still take me at least 15 minutes every morning. Versus scooping the Shakeology mix into a jar, adding water and shaking, 30 seconds.
Second, I would remain full for hours before feeling hungry again after drinking my Shakeology. My green juice would literally run right through my system and in 15-20 minutes leave me starving. This is primarily in part to the protein and fiber in Shakeology that my green juice just didn’t have. I was stripping away the natural fibers by juicing the produce.
Energy comparison I’d have to say was pretty much on par. Both give me a great dose.
Cost comparison, we all know this is a big one. Produce for the juice by week rings in something like this: (depending of course on the season)
Bunch of kale $3
Bunch of spinach $3
Romaine $2.50
Parsley $2
Celery $3
Carrots $3.50
Fresh Ginger $2
Cucumbers $3
Lemons $3
Limes $4
Apple or orange $4
Produce total for the week $33 X 4 weeks = $132/month
Vs.
Shakeology $130/month with my 25% discount
Shakeology is composed of over 70 ingredients derived from whole food sources, each one working to repair and strengthen your body. There is nothing artificial in the product. I just can’t get this many nutrients into my green drink.
The health benefits, time savings and taste have convinced me that my daily juicing habit is better served by a daily dose of Shakeology. As a busy Mom on the go, I’m always looking for ways to simplify and save time without sacrificing nutrition.
I’ve been using this product now for 12 months. Please know that I stand behind these meal replacements 110% and I would LOVE to bring you on as a client via a Shakeology bag purchase. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when people tell me they are feeling healthy, energized, and even losing weight by incorporating the shakes into their fitness and nutrition programs.
If you have any questions about the product, the ingredients, the benefits, etc., please send me a message. Bottom of the bag guarantee if you are not fully satisfied you can get your money back no questions asked.
As an added incentive, for anyone who orders Shakeology in the next month, I will show you how you can receive a 25% discount and a FREE Bella Rocket Extract Pro Personal Blender (valued at $79 and my favorite appliance in the kitchen)!
Have a great week,
Meryl

Featured Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter cup smoothie
 smoothie
1 scoop Vegan Chocolate Shakeology
1 tsp peanut butter
1 cup almond milk
1 cup of water
3-4 cubes of ice
Blend and enjoy!

Top 3 Reasons To Stop Eating Sugar

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Let me be perfectly honest: I have a huge sweet tooth. I always have. Sweets are my nemesis. I see cookies and I become the cookie monster.

Cookie monster

I mean really, what is better than a warm chocolate chip cookie? So it’s a battle. Me and the cookies battle it out. Why? Because I know the disturbing effects of sugar.

Here are the top 3 reasons to stop eating sugar:

  1. Sugar feeds cancer. Scientists have long noted sugar molecules are present in high numbers near cancer cells. A 2013 study by the University of Copenhagen shows that sugar actually aids the growth of malignant cells. And if that’s not reason enough, on to number 2.
  2. Sugar goes straight to your belly. When sugar gets processed by our liver, excess sugar is turned into belly fat. Aside from how a big belly looks in our clothes, there are even greater risks associated to belly fat such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
  3. Sugar causes cravings. This point I can whole heartedly attest to. The more sugar we eat, the more sugar we crave. Sugar intake spikes our blood sugar, so our body has to quickly work to re-balance itself. Insulin is released, and the liver starts storing the sugar as fat. All this work from our body lowers our blood sugar, and as our blood sugar dips, we then get ravenously hungry again. So, we get stuck in a vicious cycle fueled by sugar cravings. From time to time I will actually follow a 3 day carb depletion diet. I am amazed how when sugar is cut out from the body, the body stops craving it completely.

There you have it. My go to reminders when I’m tempted by the cookie jar. Again, it’s a battle. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But at least I have a reason in my head why I’m fighting the battle.

Have a great week,
Meryl

Featured Recipe

Banana Oat COOKIES (of course!) No sugar added

These are the easiest cookies to make. Have some overripe bananas sitting on your counter? Mash them up with a few other ingredients and you’ll have guilt free cookies on hand when the cookie monster comes out.

Ingredients:
4 very rip bananas, mashed
2 cups oats
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy.

#Saladadaytillsummer

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Think about what you have eaten in the past 24 hours. I’m willing to bet a large percentage of people have eaten something like cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and possibly pasta or pizza for dinner. Maybe this doesn’t describe you at all and you already get plenty of live enzymes into your daily diet. If so, good for you!  But maybe we all need a little challenge to help focus on eating more live enzymes. Join the FREE Just Feel it Fitness Salad Challenge.  I am challenging you to eat a salad every single day for the 4 weeks leading up to summer.

Why?
Because our bodies need more live enzymes to help digest everything that we put into it. We need more natural fiber to help rid the breads, pastas, etc that we can’t seem to say no to. (I love this stuff too!)  A diet full of breads and pastas and sandwiches doesn’t have enough fiber to help your body smoothly and quickly move it through your digestive system.

What should I put in my salad?
Any collection of uncooked vegetables or fruits. Uncooked is key. We need the live enzymes. All you need is lettuce or spinach and any other veggies you like. Get colorful, get creative! I like to wash and cut up romaine and leave it in the fridge in my salad spinner. When I’m ready for my salad, I just take the lettuce and add some chopped veggies. Depending if it’s a side salad or your main meal, add some form of protein. Tuna, chicken, or hard boiled eggs are a few examples. Steer clear of croutons and creamy salad dressings, we want to keep your salads as simple and live as possible. Stick to vinaigrettes or simple oil and vinegar.

When should I eat my salad?
You can eat salad any time of day!  But try eating your salad before you eat the rest of your meal. For example, order a side salad to come before your meal when you eat out. Have a fruit salad before your breakfast. Toss together a simple mixed green salad and eat before your chicken and rice dinner. Snack on baby carrots and grapes and other live foods. Give your body something live to work with every single day!

What should I expect?
When you put more live enzymes into your body, you are helping your system rid of waste. You will have more regular, and easier to pass bowel movements. It is also very possible to lose an inch or 2 from your waist. Your skin will look clearer, and you might even lose weight!
When?
Starting Monday, May 25th for the 4 weeks leading up to the start of summer! (June 21st, 2015)

Prizes!
Weekly prizes will be given to those who submit pictures of their salads online and hashtag #saladadaytillsummer and tag @justfeelitfitness

ARE YOU IN?? Let’s eat more salad!

Have a great week,
Meryl

Saladchallenge