advice from the coaches
In the ever-evolving landscape of nutrition, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potential ally in the pursuit of our health and nutrition goals. However, it's crucial to approach this technology with a healthy dose of skepticism. From my (admittedly biased) viewpoint, AI's capabilities, while promising, cannot completely replace the nuanced guidance provided by a human nutrition coach.
It’s the middle of January and you’re a couple of weeks into your New Year’s resolution. While we’re all about BIG goals around here, we’re also about finding effective and sustainable ways to improve your overall health, beyond only losing weight or going for PRs in the gym. With years of experience working with hundreds of clients, our coaches have A LOT of experience supporting others in all areas of their health and nutrition. Our team is sharing that expertise with this list of unexpected ways to improve your health this year and continue to work towards your body composition and fitness goals sustainably. It’s a culmination of our work with our clients as well as our own personal journeys as nutrition coaches. We’re sharing how getting in touch with different aspects of your health will allow you to look and feel your best not only this year, but for years (and years!) to come.
It’s a brand new year and we usually head into it with big aspirations and lofty plans for the year ahead. Sometimes our renewed motivation is paired with new challenges, and it seems like Dry January (or a self-commitment to no alcohol for the month of January) is often a common part of that. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Dry January (or any temporary pause in drinking) as it gives us an opportunity to assess if a short period of sobriety has us feeling any different - in mood, appetite, energy, or in any other area of life.
The holidays are a time of twinkling lights, cheerful gatherings, and copious amounts of joy-- and sometimes, stress. Consequently, you've probably found yourself frazzled amidst the festivities, wishing things were as simple as a Hallmark Christmas movie. Despite the hustle, bustle, and festivities muscle, there are a few ways you can help avoid the typical holiday burnout and still prioritize yourself.
Y’all, I LOVE oatmeal. It’s something I could eat for multiple meals a day because I love it that much. This week’s recipe is my go-to version of oatmeal and I love it because it’s protein-packed, sweet and nutritious. It’s something I can eat before or after a workout and sometimes I enjoy it at dinner when I don’t feel like having something savory or cooking (it was a life-saver when I was pregnant!) I hope you like it as much as I do!
Minerals. Where do they come from? They have existed in the planet we inhabit since its creation, filling our soil, rocks and water from dust that long rained down on us from exploding supernovas. Yep, exploding stars. They are elemental in form and very basic units and our bodies are infused with them everywhere. They are essential to us from the moment we are conceived in the womb, from the moment cells begin to divide and a heart begins to beat.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
It’s just as important to develop strategies for times when you don’t have the capacity for laser focus as it is to maintain consistency when you’re aggressively pursuing a goal. Maybe even more so, because you will have times in your life where your nutrition-related goals have to take a back seat.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
We have learned a bit of the background on vitamins and minerals - small examples of why they are important in our bodies and a few ramifications for overall health - and we can now deep dive specifically into one type of micronutrient: vitamins.
As nutrition coaches, we have the privilege of building close relationships with our clients as we help guide them toward their goals - be those related to aesthetics or fat loss goals, performance goals, or goals of optimal health. Along the way, as we work on building a better relationship with food and our habits, we get to share parts of our stories that are relevant to our coaching styles. We’re taking time this year to share more about us, our nutrition journeys and transformations, our road to becoming nutrition coaches and educators, and the amazing clients we have the privilege of working with.
Recognizing our hunger cues and the impact our environment can have on those cues is especially important for goals related to our nutrition. Establishing a difference between physical and psychological hunger is the first line of defense against any feelings of guilt, shame, or regret surrounding our food choices.
While we want our clients to have specific goals they’re after, as coaches, our goal is to also ensure that clients walk away with tools that ensure their results are sustainable and that they feel confident in navigating their nutrition on their own. In today’s post, I’m sharing more about some of those tools we aim to develop in our work as online nutrition coaches working one-on-one with clients, no matter what their goals are.
Goal setting can seem cliché, but setting yourself up with the right type of goals can be the difference between getting frustrated and giving up, and actually achieving the big goals you have set for yourself. This post is here to help you along in the process of making new goals that will best serve you in this coming year.
We talk so much about protein that it can feel like a gimmick - something that isn’t actually that important or necessary. But the importance of protein for our overall health as well as any aesthetic or performance goals we may have is so very real.
In today’s post, I’m talking all about the client + coach relationship and how to really get the most out of your work with a coach. Whether you work with one of our coaches or have worked with any sort of coach in the past or are thinking about working with a coach, understanding how you can bring your best to the table can make or break your success in reaching your goals.
Even if you have composition goals, your current body is fully deserving of your respect. Learning to respect your body even if you have composition goals is one of the first ways to start building that confidence.
If you’re a perfectionist, chances are you’ve been told repeatedly that “perfect is the enemy of good”. The problem, though, is that the goal is still to be good. And if there’s anything I’ve learned from my perfectionist clients, it’s that good is never good enough.
Diet culture is a system that places value on our weight and size over our health. Diet culture is supported by a multi-billion dollar industry that pushes weight loss through every medium possible. Diet culture tells men, women, and children that they are not small enough, strong enough, or lean enough. DIET CULTURE IS HARD TO IGNORE. Anti-diet culture is not the same thing as anti-dieting, and let’s talk about why.
Last week on the blog, we talked about the general idea of diversifying your conception of what “healthy” looks like. This is also a reminder to make sure that you’re getting your nutrition information from diverse sources. So this week, I’m here to provide some links to creators and resources to help you dig in further.
When you think of healthy food, what comes to mind? For most of us, it's usually something like egg whites and vegetables, or a big salad, or steamed broccoli and chicken and brown rice. But what about other food traditions and cultures? There are people all over the world who have lived healthy lives and probably never eaten what you just thought of as “healthy” foods.
I’ve been my dad’s nutrition coach for a little over two years now and while working with ALL of my clients is rewarding, working with my dad has been especially rewarding in its own way. And while you may think I’m here to boast about how I’ve helped my dad lose a bunch of weight and finally get back to his high school football weight and body composition, I’m actually here to tell you that he hasn’t changed much physically and hasn’t really lost any weight at all.
You might be faced with some big life events throughout the year - the ones we don't anticipate and that aren't always celebrations. These are often complex, emotional, challenging, and demanding situations that can make our nutrition seem especially overwhelming. Looking at these significant life events, there are three key things I learned that I think would benefit your nutrition should you find yourself amid these big life events and life changes.
We already know that a calorie deficit is the most important factor at play when it comes to pursuing fat loss goals. But, for most, staying in a consistent calorie deficit is a lot more challenging (and far more complex) than just “eating less and moving more.” One roadblock I see hindering progress over and over is not being in the right place to commit to these goals from the start.
If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media, you’ve probably come across a plethora of content touting metabolism-boosting “hacks”: drinking cold water, green tea, and coffee; eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day; making your food as spicy as possible; cold plunging in ice water; wearing a weighted vest. What’s worth implementing? What’s simply noise? Read this week’s blog to find out.