As per request, here is my take on juicing (the latest craze it seems, these days).

As a nutrition coach with certifications from the ISSA and Precision Nutrition, I work with members at my fitness studio as well as my online clients to create nutrition plans to support a wide variety of fitness goals.

One of the most common things I see in the initial food journals I review, is a severe lack of fruits and veggies.  I get it, it might SEEM easier to grab a granola bar, bowl of cereal in the morning or fast food for lunch but the truth is eating clean isn’t a time consuming as you might think.

If you’re tight on time doing some meal prep really goes a long way. Prepping big batches of protein and veggies makes life easy when you’ve got a tight schedule BUT for those weeks when this is just not going to happen juicing can be a great alternative.

Take for example my recent post about my breakfast these days, 2-3 hard-boiled eggs, homemade tomato juice and my coffee. It takes me under 2 minutes to fire in some diced tomatoes, kale and spinach into my Nutribullet. I boil my eggs (I set the microwave to 10 minutes from start to finish time), brew my starbucks coffee, grab my fish oils and blend my juice.  In under 10 minutes I have a great breakfast containing protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates packed with nutrients. PS my juice DOES taste better than it looks!

Eating foods in their most natural state is always one of my top recommendations, but I think juicing can be really beneficial for:

1) Getting fruit and veggies into your day in a super fast and convenient way

2) Clearing out the fridge of left over veggies that only have 1-2 days of ‘life force’ left in them

3) Enjoying some variety into your meal plan (adding in spices like ginger, lemon and lime are great ways to enhance flavor in your juice)

My only word of caution is to always take consideration of your overall nutrition for the day.  Juicing fruit in particular can increase your intake by 2-3 pieces a day, so just make sure you adjust your plan accordingly. While fruits and veggies have a tremendous amount of healthy and nutrient dense carbohydrates, make sure your consumption is always in line with your fitness goals.

Happy juicing!

The other day I was chatting with one of our awesome TT members at the front desk. She asked me if I ever have days when I just don’t feel like working out.

I laughed and said, “Yes I most definitely do!”  Of course there are days when I’d rather skip my workouts and stop eating clean and it’s not always easy to go against the conventional grain of how most people live.  I’ve heard the, ‘Oh common, just live a little’ the ‘what diet are you on’ or the ‘don’t you think exercising so much is bad for you?” Perhaps some of these ‘kind’ and inquisitive questions sound all too familiar to you.

I then followed up my reply with the real reason why I will never stop working out, eating clean and remaining focused; I am very fortunate to be able to workout.

I blogged not to long ago about some health issues I was having and how they led me to greatly appreciate my health http://www.eatcleanandtraindirty.ca/wordpress/?p=275 while this has been a huge factor in my dedication to eating clean and training dirty, in the past month I have had even more reason to stay dedicated to my health and fitness and it has made me more committed to helping and inspiring others as well.

Recently my mother in law passed away quite suddenly. Even though our time together was way too short, she is has become one of the most influential people in my life.  She was an incredibly vibrant, warm and caring person. She just had a way of making you feel good even on those days when you didn’t.  She was always our biggest supporter, and whenever Taylor and I had a crazy idea (whether it be getting married on a beach or opening our own business on a shoestring budget) she was always our number #1 fan and supporter.  She always saw the humour in every situation and taught me a lot about enjoying the little moments in life like a skype call from a loved one or an email from a friend that made you smile.

Training, eating clean and taking care of my body is the least I can do to honor the fact that life is so precious.  There will always be an excuse to start eating better tomorrow or make time for a workout later, but the truth of the matter is we need to honor our health by taking care of ourselves so we can take care of the ones we love.

I am really fortunate to have incredible people in my life so I owe it to them to take care of myself so in turn I can take care of them.

On those days I don’t feel like working out, I simply think about the fact that I’m fortunate to have my health to train, and to train to better my health.

On the days when I feel like not eating so clean, I think about what I put into my body will determine how I move and feel.

And on those days when I think that I’ve come up with yet another crazy idea, goal or plan that many would shake their head at, I know I will always have my #1 supporter watching down on me cheering me on every step of the way.

One of clients is training for her first fitness show and she’s doing great!  Recently I put together some physique pictures from October 2012 – last week.  We chatted about the changes she’s already made (yes, even over the holidays!).

We also chatted about her weight and the fact that she has actually PUT ON WEIGHT! Yes, you read that right. She has put on weight, she is getting leaner and she is going to rock her first fitness show!

I thought these would be some great pics to share. PUT AWAY THE FREAK’N SCALE LADIES!  Take some pictures, find a coach, get to work and you can also rock out your bikini on the beach this summer.

Happy Friday!

To kick of 2013 I have a guest post to share from Taylored Training coach Vanessa Giguere.  We get asked a lot about how people find the time to train with us -a lot of our clients dedicate to 4-5 workouts a week.  The answer?  They MAKE the time, because their health and fitness is important to them.  When you discover your ‘why’ for working out, then you will also find the time and stop wasting it…

Stop Wasting Time

Your time is precious! That’s definitely stating the obvious we all know that. But sit back and think about it for a few seconds. What did you do with your time today? How about yesterday?

Last week I read an article by Rachel Cosgrove about guarding your precious time. It’s a great article, take 2 minutes today to read it.

http://rachelcosgrove.com/2013/01/guard-your-precious-time/

After reading the article it really got me thinking about how I invest my time.

It has definitely changed compared to my University years when I thought I was so busy! My parents would remind me to enjoy the years in school because once I entered the real world things would be different. I’m sure we’ve all heard that line before.

Looking back five years ago I had just finished my Master’s. Taylor and I were having a heart to heart (one of many) and he was telling me, “Just you wait, things only get busier from here on out”. I remember thinking, school is busy, I have class, exams, papers, teach, volunteer here and there, workout and have a social life how much busier could things get?

I can tell you, they were right! And I’m here to tell you the same thing.

Life only gets busier. That is why it is so important to invest your time wisely.

Once you’ve finished school it’s inevitable you will take on more responsibilities. It can be a challenge to balance everything. From family, friends, building a career, dating, travelling, staying fit and healthy, the list goes on and on.  So how do you choose to invest your time?

A book I read recently really put this into perspective for me.

Wants are wishes.

Needs are necessities.

Needs are essential for success and fulfillment.

To see what I merely want, I ask myself, “What do I want to do now?” To see what is really needed, I ask myself, “What would I like to have done?”

Ask yourself that question. What would you like to say you have done in 2 weeks, a month or even a year from now?  Invest your time in that! I think Mark Twain said it best,

“Twenty years from bow you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t’ do than by the ones you did do. So throw off bowlines. Sail away from the sage harbor. Explore, Dream, Discover.”

- Vanessa

Wow – can you believe it’s December 21^st?  Christmas is ALMOST here.  I know it’s a tough time to stay on track with your workouts and your clean eating but IT is possible (just not everyone is up for the tough challenge).

Yeah, you could just eat whatever you want this year, then feel gross, then feel even worse when you start working out again in the New Year, but do you REALLY want to do that? (again).

Here’s my challenge for you:

 Keep it clean this Christmas!  There are SO many ways to enjoy your family festivities while still keeping it clean and I will be posting as many recipes as I can so you can enjoy some wicked clean eats for your Christmas partying.

It’s not a glass of red and a nice meal that’s going to kill your clean eating, it’s the cheezies, crackers, chips, chocolate, candy and homemade baking (the buttery, sugary, lard kind).

I posted my strategy for the masses, which is “the Rule of 3”. Keeping treats, junk food and excessive booze to 3 days over the holidays. This will help eliminate a complete annihilation of your clean eating, but let’s be honest everyone has a goal they want to hit for 2013. Let’s make that goal a reality this year!

This Christmas let’s try to change the way we look and feel and make some new traditions.

Are you in?

Send me your favourite recipes and strategies for eating clean this Christmas and have a Happy Holiday!