While it may not be the holiday season yet, it’s sure known to creep up on us once summer has come to an end. Many people put their fitness on hold during the holiday season, figuring that they can’t possibly keep up with their private training or small group fitness and nutrition with all the holiday festivities going on, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are plenty of ways to keep on top of your fitness journey during the holidays, while still enjoying everything about it. To get you prepared for this season, 5 low-calorie fall cocktails you’ll love are:

1. Hot Toddy – Hot Toddies may be best known for making you feel better when you have a cold, but they also taste great when it’s cold as well. Bourbon, clove, boiling water, and a touch of sugar combine in a glass with a garnish of fresh lemon to warm you up from the inside out with only 126 calories.

5. Raspberry peach champagne – For toasting, raspberry peach champagne is a fresh twist for 170 calories. Combine 1 oz of Grand Marnier raspberry peach with lemon juice, simple syrup, and a splash of champagne, shake, and pour into a glass garnished with lemon.

If you haven’t started on your new fitness journey yet, but wish to before this holiday season, call now for 3 Risk-Free, Complimentary Sessions. We include a 30-day guarantee on all of our packages.

Book Your 1st of 3 Free Sessions Now

You’ve had a long day, but it’s not over yet, so what do you do? Typically, most people would reach for a cup of coffee or tea, filling themselves with caffeine for that quick jolt to pull them out of their slump, but there is a better way. Your nutritional coach or nutritional counselor can teach you how to use your nutrition for an all-natural energy boost, and one that doesn’t come with the jitters or crash these more common options are known for. Using nutrition for an all-natural energy boost gives you a lasting and “feel good” type of energy that won’t keep you up all night.

If you’re looking for a quick snack or something you can have on the go, almonds can be kept in a car, in a handbag, or at your desk, and they pack a huge energy punch. Almonds contain both magnesium and B vitamins, which help the body to convert food into energy naturally, while also boosting your metabolism. Just one single serving of almonds is around 20 nuts and can be enough to give you noticeable lasting energy without throwing your caloric intake off track.

For beating that lunchtime energy drop, peanut butter is an excellent option. While peanut butter is a bit higher in calories, that of the natural sort only requires a small amount to feel real benefits. It contains fiber, protein, and healthy fats, so you’ll feel fuller longer while your body breaks down the natural energy contained inside. Peanut butter can be spread on apples, whole grain toast, or celery to give you a wholesome lunch that keeps you feeling full and keeps that afternoon slump at bay.

Keep the healthy energy going through dinner and into the evening by cooking up a fresh filet of salmon. Salmon is incredibly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which has been shown to improve memory, brain function, mood, and energy levels. For heart-healthy energy, there is no better choice than salmon, as it can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol with the same proteins that keep you fueled and full.

Lastly, the most important meal of the day. The morning is typically when you’ll be feeling the need for energy the most, and oatmeal is a breakfast choice that gives you just that. Oatmeal is full of healthy carbohydrates, but also fiber, so it digests slowly to evenly distribute energy to your body throughout the day. The high fiber content also helps to keep you feeling full, so you will find yourself satisfied until lunch.

Whether you’re seeing a nutritionist or personal trainer, call now for 3 Risk-Free, Complimentary Sessions. We include a 30-day guarantee on all of our packages.

Book Your 1st of 3 Free Sessions Now

Here’s a tasty way to serve up roasted chicken breast…

Today’s recipe is a hearty ragu filled with roasted, shredded chicken breast. This is a wonderful dinner recipe for those busy weeknights, and it a fantastic method for serving yesterday’s cooked chicken in a brand new flavorful fashion.

A ragu is what the Italian’s call a meat-based sauce that’s simmered with vegetables and wine and served over pasta. I chose to serve my ragu over roasted spaghetti squash, nestled on a bed of fresh arugula. You could do the same, or opt to serve it over zucchini noodles, butternut squash noodles, sweet potato noodles, or simply over some sautéed veggies, cooked quinoa or fresh greens. The key is that you are avoiding those traditional, starchy, grain-based noodles.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need

For the Spaghetti Squash

• 2 spaghetti squash
• dash of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

For the Ragu

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• ⅓ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• sea salt and black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• ⅓ cup Marsala wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• ⅔ cup coconut cream
• 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
• 2 cups baby arugula

Instructions

For the Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
2. Rub the inside of each spaghetti squash half with coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Place, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.

For the Ragu

1. In a large skillet place the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and brown. Add the onions, garlic and thyme. Sauté for 4 minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Mix in the tomato paste and sauté for another 4 minutes.
2. Deglaze the skillet with the Marsala. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and coconut cream. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer. Add in the shredded chicken and continue to simmer for 5 minutes as the sauce thickens. Serve over a bed of arugula and roasted spaghetti squash. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

348 calories, 9g fat, 21g carbohydrate, 11g sugar, 956mg sodium, 6g fiber, and 25g protein.

Book Your 1st of 3 Free Sessions Now

For impactful personal training, it pays to pay a visit to your nutritional coach. In order to get the most from your body, you’ll first have to fuel your body, and what you choose to fuel your body with makes all the difference. Eating a healthy small meal or snack around an hour or so before your personal training session is ideal, and we want to provide you with some nutritionist-approved ideas for what that meal or snack should be. 5 foods to eat before seeing your personal trainer are:

1. Tuna – A bit of tuna with a vegetable of your choice on whole wheat crackers is a great way to fuel up before training. Tuna is packed with protein and polyunsaturated fats, the cracker gives a small healthy carbohydrate punch, and your choice of raw vegetable adds vitamins into your diet.

5. Watermelon – A slice of fresh watermelon is another great way to soothe sweet tooth while preparing for your workout. Watermelon is rich in hydration and electrolytes, while it also helps in replenishing glycogen stores within the body. Watermelon can be eaten alone or added to smoothies with other fresh fruit and vegetables for a great nutritional boost.

To get started with your personal training, call now for 3 Risk Free, Complimentary Sessions. We include a 30 day guarantee on all of our packages.

Book Your 1st of 3 Free Sessions Now

Have you ever fallen into the droopy-sleepy-yawny-have-no-energy trap? When both the middle of the morning and the middle of the afternoon feel like bedtime? Ugh. I have. Back when my breakfast consisted of mainly grain-based cereals or processed and refined breakfast pas- tries. Add to that a cup or two of sugar-sweetened coffee in the morning and a couple of corn syrup–sweetened caffeinated beverages in the afternoon, and I was left with a roller coaster of inconsistent energy levels.

All of that changes when you started avoiding refined sugars and processed and packaged breakfast foods. Dips in your energy evens out into one steady stream of reliable energy. What a difference a consistent pep in your step makes!

I contemplated naming these “All Day Energy Muffins,” because these moist morsels give you wings—more so than any energy drink I’ve ever tried. Check out the ingredients and you’ll see what I mean: flax, almonds, eggs, banana, apple, pecans—I doubt you could find a muffin recipe with more goodness crammed into it than this.
No really, don’t waste your time looking—just make these and enjoy!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 12

Here’s what you need

• ⅓ cup flax meal
• ½ cup Almond Meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup apple, finely chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 12 apple slices
• 12 whole pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flax meal, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
3. In another large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, raw honey, and mashed banana. Mix well until no large lumps of banana remain.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until fully combined. Fold in the chopped apples and pecans.
5. Fill each muffin cup three-fourths full. Top with an apple slice and a pecan. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until golden and set.
6. Let the pan cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Nutritional Analysis

145 calories, 10g fat, 11g carbohydrate, 6g sugar, 318mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 4g protein.

When people seek out a personal trainer, they’ll often want to use a nutritional coach in conjunction with their training to start their lifestyle change for real results. One of the hottest topics these folks are concerned about is fat, and how their food and caloric intakes are impacting how they look and how they feel. What we want to clear the air about is good fat versus bad fat, and how important good fats actually are for your body. While avoiding bad fats is a great idea, abstaining from good fats is abstaining from nutrition your body really needs.

According to the US Department of Agriculture and their 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which still ring true today, adults should get around 10% minimum of their daily caloric intake from good fats. Ideally, this number should be up around 25-30%, but this doesn’t mean you should start binging on potato chips. In reality, however, the average American will get around 40% of their daily caloric intake from fat, and not the good kind, which gives you longer training sessions resulting in fewer changes.

There are two main types of fats to pay attention to – saturated fats and unsaturated fats. The good kind, the kind that you should be seeking out to make up around 30% of your daily caloric intake, are the unsaturated fats, and you’ll find these in the form of fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats, and monounsaturated fats. When these fats replace saturated fats in your diet, you’ll find that your heart attack disease risk is reduced, your cholesterol lowers, and brain fog is lifted. You can find unsaturated fats in foods like:

• Vegetable oils
• Salmon
• Catfish
• Trout
• Nuts

In the American diet, unfortunately, you look on a store shelf and see more convenient saturated fat options than unsaturated fat options, which is why so many find themselves eating more fats, and more of the fats that aren’t great for them. Saturated fats and trans fatty acids are found in everything from poultry skin to potato chips, and according to the American Heart Association, they should be left to only about 7% of your daily caloric intake. Not all saturated fats are created equal, either, and artificial trans fats should be avoided more than the naturally occurring types you may find in meat or dairy products. The trans fats in these naturally occurring sources are much smaller than the artificial sorts you will find in sweets or processed snacks.

To learn more about good fat versus bad fat, call now for 3 Risk Free, Complimentary Sessions. Our personal training facility employs two on-staff certified nutritionists to provide our clients with unlimited nutritional coaching to go along with their unlimited personal training, ensuring only the best results. We include a 30 day guarantee on all of our packages.

Book Your 1st of 3 Free Sessions Now