I know I'm not Oprah but I still want to share my favorite things (related to fitness) for the holidays! Here are some treats that I swear enhance my own exercise routine and keep me excited to stay consistent. If you've got someone in your life (or ARE that someone in your life) who works out, consider these options as holiday or New Year's gifts!

Barefoot training was hugely popular for a few years (and still is in some gyms). Training without shoes on can be hugely beneficial for a variety of reasons but not everyone wants to go full-on nekkid with their feet. This is why I've grown super fond of grippy socks! Thanks to Barre and Pilates, these socks are pretty easy to come by. Try out this brand if you want more "serious" lifting socks. If you're looking for more "everyday" grippy socks, though, you can try out these or these!

I know these are pricy (compared to those free earphones that come with the actual phone) but I have to say: They've been 100% worth it. These AirPods are the most comfortable earphones I've ever had (do your ears get sore from wearing earphones for a long time? Mine do...). When you're doing dynamic movements in your exercise program, it's really best to go wireless if you can. No one wants to get tripped up in cords.

There isn't a whole lot you CAN'T do with a kettlebell: Turkish Getups, swings, goblet squats, chest presses, rows, deadlifts, halos, armbars... The list goes on. The ability to use the bell for mobility, strength and cardio is pretty cool and I can't say regular dumbbells can do all of that with the effect kettlebells have. The "standard" bell weight for women is 16kg (36lbs) and 20kg for men (45lbs). But everyone is different so get something that sounds like it's JUST a little heavier than you can do so you can work up to that weight being your usual go-to. 

Fanny packs have become WAY more mainstream so this is truly a good time to get someone you love one of these without a look of confusion. Why? Because they allow you to go on a run/walk/hike/adventure without fear of your keys or wallet falling out of your jacket (which is how I lost my license and credit card once...).  Let your loved one get after it out there!

One of my best friends was given a GORGEOUS Art Deco engagement ring. She loved it so much she wore it when I trained her before her wedding. And the band broke. Turns out you're not supposed to work out with your engagement or wedding ring on. Who knew? Well, a lot of companies, actually, because there are a lot of silicone ring options out there now that allow you to be active with your hands while keeping your jewelry intact! Enso is a really well-known brand but I got a fun multi-pack here.

Recovery needs are REAL if you want to exercise long-term and injury-free. Plus, who doesn't love a massage? (Well, some people might not so I have some other recovery ideas below). If you have a particularly active loved on, you could even spring for a 90-minute treatment. My favorite local Evanston massage therapist? Dan Plyter! Dan doesn't have a website but you can book with him my emailing him here. If you'd rather book with a female, Erika Bitto is my go-to. You can also book a massage with her through Dan.

Does your loved one complain about sore muscles? CBD creams are all the rage right now and for good reason (in my opinion). I love my Charlotte's Web cream for some overnight soothing after hard workouts. If you're in the Evanston area, you can visit my favorite CBD store, Botanica. Not super into CBD? Mix a little bit of this essential oil blend with some coconut oil and get similar muscle-warming effects!

Sore and overworked bodies can stand to give themselves a nice, hot bath once in a while and a soothing bath isn't complete without some Epsom salts. Don't confuse these with bath bombs (which my pelvic floor PTs advise against). I love Epsom salt baths so much I order this 20lb bag from Amazon... Sprinkle in a few drops of that oil you might have also bought above to kick the recovery up a notch.

If I'm being honest, the best time for me to work out is after I see clients but I often  have other places to go after with no chance to shower. That's OK now because I've discovered a shower in a bottle! This foam cleanser works surprisingly well and doesn't have a super aggressive smell like icky body sprays have. Gotta love products that don't let you have any excuses not to work out :)

Sometimes you want to give your hair a little post-workout zhuzh (yes, I had to look up how to spell that). I've tried a TON of dry shampoos, this is hands-down my absolute favorite. Spray away, this shampoo doesn't leave any powdery residue!

I hope this helps at least jog your mind with some ideas for how to support your loved one's fitness endeavors! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask below! Thanks for reading!

These breakfast options are obviously the tippy tip of the iceberg but they're my go-to favorites. I hope you enjoy them! 

Do you have a favorite healthy recipe for Meal #1? Share in the comments below!

1. Create intention: 

• Why am I here, anyway?
• Currently, how much of your mind pie chart is taken up by things (your laundry list, the project you need to finish at work, how annoyed you are that your dog only let you sleep for 4.5 hours)
• What do I want to have gained when I leave here?
• Go back to your pie chart: Time to clear space out to focus on the here and now
• Take mental inventory again

2. Clear space

• Decide you are going to set your thoughts aside for the next selected amount of time
• Shift focus to the here and now

3. Wake up and be ready

• What is your current energy level (1-10)?
• What can you do to adjust your energy, even just a little bit?
  • Doing jumping jacks?
  • Taking deep, energizing breaths?
  • Drinking a tall glass of water? Or a tall glass of espresso (don’t judge)?

4. Prepare yourself and surroundings

• Is your body prepared?
• Is your thinking prepared?
• Are your feelings prepared?
• If you answered no to the above, what can you do — nothing is too small — to inch you closer to a yes?

When we’re bombarded by information and images and different forms of media all of the time, it’s no wonder that even the most focused of us can feel like Jackson Pollocks sometimes. So I hope that this exercise helps to center you and get more out of your tasks — like your workout! — at  hand.
Let me know if you have any questions and if you want to follow Dr. Lewis, you can find her here and here. And if you want to laugh as you learn about exercise, you can find Tony here! (And if you’re not already following me on Instagram, do sohere and here for crying out loud!)

Ready? Here’s habit one, the way I present it to my CleanSlaters: 
Choosing your best option, no matter where you are
There are two big times of the year where we find ourselves in situations where we feel like we have no “healthy” options: the summer (on vacations, at cookouts, etc) and from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. So we plod along, looking like Charlie Brown after Lucy takes the football away and think, “Well, I have no good choices here at this barbecue/holiday party/all-inclusive resort so I might as well just have it all.” We eat a bunch of food, drink a bunch of drinks and can’t even enjoy a second of it because we feel annoyed/guilty/sad. So we consume even more to numb ourselves.
Practicing actively choosing one option over another — even when our options are 5-cheese pizza vs pepperoni pizza — puts the power of choice back in our hands. Once we take ownership of our choices and decisions, the chances of us overindulging go down while the chances of us having fun and living a full life go up!

HOW CAN YOU PERSONALIZE THIS SKILL?
You likely won’t have to do this at every meal but see if there is one part of your day this could help you out. This habit can look like this:

• I will make the best choice for me each time I go out to lunch and/or dinner this week;
• I will look at the menu at the restaurant ahead of time to make my decision before I get there;
• I will make the best choice for me at the lunch cafeteria every day this week;
• I will make the best choice for me each time it’s time to order something to drink at happy hour.
• I will make the best choice for me for each afternoon snack this week.

What do I mean by "best choice for me", exactly:
By "best" I might mean: healthiest, best-tasting, least-costly, on one of Anthony Bourdain's best of lists (happy belated birthday, AB), best-looking... the list goes on. The takeaway is that it is an active choice made by you.

But what if I don’t want to pick between one option and another?
Not choosing between two options IS a choice so own it! If you decide you’d like to eat both options, you can always choose to alter the portion size. Just be in the moment and enjoy it.

​What if none of the items are healthy?
Sometimes there won’t be a single veggie is sight. Sometimes there may not even be a non-fried option in sight. And you know what? That’s OK. You can still make an active decision. For example, let’s take the pizza example above. You’ve got your choice of cheese or pepperoni. You could choose the pepperoni slice because you know it’ll taste better. Own it! You could choose the 5-cheese because it just looks better. Own it! Own the decision and you’ll be more satisfied and will very likely eat less.

Whew. I feel like I just threw a lot out there. I also feel like this "choosing what's best for you" skill isn't talked about a whole lot so: If you have any questions/concerns/feedback/anything, please post a comment below or email me!  Let's chat!

Remember when we’d watch The Biggest Loser and be in AWE of the contestants who were able to get through their workouts despite having a broken ankle and eat 1500 calories a day even though they exercised for eight hours in that day and thought, “Wow, Jillian Michaels is SO MEAN but I guess that’s what we all need sometimes.”? 

Even in personal training school, we couldn’t stop watching. Forget the fact that we KNEW that show was abusing these poor contestants, there was still this dogma that losing weight and getting fit required going all in, all at once and that it wouldn’t be pretty.

The bad news is, some still believe you have to go all in to see and feel results. The GOOD news is, thankfully, that it’s becoming more en vogue in the fitness industry to learn how to meet our clients where they are and use positive reinforcement rather than shame someone to help them out.

Turns out this actually applied to dog training methods, too! Even the most loving dog training gurus would use fear tactics and place dogs in positions where they couldn’t possibly succeed so they could be scolded into learning how we DID want them to act. Luckily that’s turned around and now the training methods point to teaching your pet how to WANT to act the way you want them to.

As y’all know if you read last week’s newsletter, Bama has been working hard on understanding what “stay” means. Pupdate: Still working on it but improving! 

Bama’s trainer Pamela tells us that when teaching a dog to stay you have to deal with “the three Ds”: Distance (how far away you are from the pet), Duration (how long your pet stays in “stay”) and Distraction (all the things we cannot control that might distract your animal). Right now it would be crazy for me to expect Bama to “stay” in a seated position on the sidewalk as I run into Starbucks to grab coffee with the urban world happening around her.

Let’s take this into the human realm. When learning a new skill or habit, be it exercise- or nutrition-related, we need to deal with our own version of the three Ds which I am calling “FIT”: Frequency, Intensity and Time. Let’s use “to exercise” as the habit we are trying to work on. Looking through the FIT variables, here are some ways to choose how you will practice this new habit:

Frequency: How often either throughout the day or throughout the week you will practice this habit or skill.

Intensity: In this exercise example, intensity can mean how hard you want your workout to be that day on a scale of 1-10 and it can also mean how long you want your workout to be. 

Time: How long, in days/weeks/months you choose to practice this habit or skill this particular way. I am a planner and the reason I like to play with Time is because it can remind me that whatever I’m working on, I can take it one day at a time for a length of time of my choice. While you can take the habits and skills you learn with you for the rest of your life,  playing with the Time variable helps to remind us that there will be moments in our lives when we may decide to tweak how we practice something! For example: Want to lose those last 10 lbs before a big event? You may choose to restrict your diet and eliminate all added sugars and alcohol for two weeks and reassess how you feel after that. ​

Let’s go back to Bama for a minute: In learning to "stay", we are pretty much always going to deal with Distraction. If I was taking Bama for a walk at prime dog-walking time and I asked her to “stay” sitting down while I run into Starbucks to get coffee, do you think this 10-month-old puppy who’s just started to work on this could do that? Um, no. We’re already playing with Distance (I'd be many yards away from her) and Duration (it’ll take a few minutes to make my Americano) and then, layer Distraction on top of that! People coming up to  pet her, birds flying around, children yelling from the playground, loud buses coming by… Am I setting Bama up for success here with her “stay”? NOPE! Would it be silly of me to expect that she’d stay in her seated position exactly as I left her? YES!
​
Now, may I ask: Have there been times that YOU have expected yourself to succeed in a situation that might have been too bogged down with Frequency, Intensity and Time? Something like, “I haven’t worked out in a year but I will start going t the gym Monday through Friday (F) for an hour (I) before work from now on (T).” That might work for the outlier but for most of us, it’s putting us in a tough spot where it will be hard to succeed.
When going through the FIT variables, put yourself in Bama’s paws. How can you play around with Frequency, Intensity and Time to set yourself up for success in our "to exercise" example? Here are just a few ideas:

• Do this five-minute mobility flow before getting ready in the morning Monday through Friday this week and reassess.
• Take a Pilates/Spin/Barre/Whatever class every Saturday this month and reassess.
• See a trainer twice/week for three months and practice yoga once/week for three months and reassess.
• Park as far as possible from work to get more steps in every day that it is not raining this summer and reassess.

These may seem simple but nothing is "too easy" as long as you're feeling a little bit challenged while still feeling 90-100% confident you can follow through with it! 

We’ve believed for so long that in order to get fit we need to do tough things. Well, yeah, you need to make a change or change won’t come and that might take a little mental toughness and body soreness. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be wildly successful with every step (and stay) you take along the way. ​

Let me be honest: Every time Anthony Bourdain would make fun of vegetarians, I would chuckle a little. When you study exercise and nutrition, it’s sort of branded into your brain that if you want to lean out and build muscle, you want to eat .8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Of course these numbers vary depending on how much you want to weight and your body type and blah blah blah. So I’d think, “Ok, vegetarians. Good luck building muscle without eating MEAT.”

Archaic and wrong. I know. And trust me when I say that I no longer think this but I DO want to recognize that it can take a little bit more planning to get adequate protein if you’re eating a mostly plant-based diet.

Now, since one of my really active clients does eat a plant-based diet*, I thought it would be fun to gather up info about non-meat sources of food that are high in protein!

Here's a list of non-meat foods I find yummy and versatile that are also high in protein**:
Edamame: 22g/cup
Hemp seeds: 6g/oz
Lentils: 18g/cup
Greek yogurt: 24g/cup
Green peas: 8g/cup
Quinoa: 8g/cooked cup
Artichoke hearts: 4g/cup
Spinach: 5g/cooked cup
Kamut: 11g/cooked cup
Mushrooms: 3g/cup white and shiitakes, 4g/cup portabella
Tempeh: 16g/3 oz
Black beans: 8g/.5 cup
Chia seeds: 6g/2 tbsp
Steel cut oats: 5g/.5 cup cooked
Brussels sprouts: 4g/cup
Broccoli: 4g/cup steamed
Sweet potato: 4g/cup
Asparagus: 4g/cup cooked
Tofu (extra firm): 9g/3oz
Plant-based protein powder like Vega Sport: 30g/scoop

Here are a few things to consider if you are consuming a plant-based diet and are focusing on protein:

• Non-meat sources of protein (except for eggs and soy products like edamame) are thought of as “incomplete” proteins because they lack all of the amino acids that complete proteins have. What this means is that it is important to have a very widely-varied food list. You know the phrase “eat the rainbow”? Do that! Eat all of the different colors of veggies, legumes and grains.
• If you are really focusing on building lean muscle mass, consider supplementing with a protein shake here and there. Shakes can pack in about 30g of protein in a serving. Here's a hot tip, though: If you do eat eggs and/or dairy, I HIGHLY recommend using a whey or egg white-based powder and here is why.

So now let’s pretend you are a woman looking to lose fat and build muscle and are trying to eat roughly 1500 calories per day. I would want this client’s food be comprised of 30% protein. In this case it turns out to be roughly 120 grams of protein per day.

Here’s how we’d make that work:
NOTE: As a nutrition coach in Illinois I CANNOT prescribe a meal plan. I can simply help you put something together WITH you or make suggestions. I just thought it would be helpful to see what one day might look like. So here it is!

Breakfast:
1 cup Greek yogurt (with the lowest sugar content you can find!) with 1 Tbsp chia seeds and a 1/2 cup of blackberries mixed in. One of my favorite former clients Kelly loved putting in frozen berries for texture so that’s what I’ve plugged in.

Lunch:
Salade Composée (that’s French for a salad that is hearty enough for a full meal): A fine mix of greens, roasted and steamed veggies with a Green Goddess dressing, topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds. I don't write restaurant menus so use your imagination for more flavor-packed adjectives ;)

Dinner:
The yummiest recipe I’ve made in a long time, pictured above: Curried Lentils with Kale and Coconut Milk. Check out the recipe here. The serving size I used is 1/4 of the recipe plus 3 oz cubed tofu mixed in. You could ALSO cut a 3-oz portion of extra firm tofu, season it with spices, lightly brush with oil and grill it, eat it on the side.

If you know me, you know I do not usually like to plug in my food into a calorie calculator. But, for the purposes of this post, I thought I would to use as an illustration. Here is the outcome:

As you can see, this day turned out to be just over 1500 calories, 124 grams of protein (remember our goal was 120) AND a whopping 42 grams of fiber to boot! That's a lot of fiber, guys. I'd make sure to drink plenty of water if I were you.

Whether you're a vegetarian or like to only eat meat occasionally, know that getting adequate protein from mostly plant form is absolutely doable! It just takes some planning (and possibly a B12 supplement; check with your doctor).

If you're someone who feels like they could use some help with some of their habits and skills surrounding their own diet, give me a shout! You can reach me via email, sign up for CleanSlate28 or call 312-497-8999. If you need a little extra help requiring a registered dietician, I can also help connect you!

If you are a vegetarian (or even a flexetarian or pescatarian or vegan) and have your own tactics for how to get protein in, share them in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!

But if you’re living your regular day-to-day, your snacks should serve a purpose: To fuel you when you've been hungry for a little while until you get to your next meal.

​Snacks aren't supposed to exist to ease stress or to make you feel happier when you’re sad and that is an entire other subject (presented by the amazing Josh Hillis; click here). The snacks below should absolutely be enjoyed because they will give your nutrients, vitamins and minerals, will taste good and will help you not grab all of the food in sight at home because you were SO HUNGRY.

​Alright, so why do I like these to-go snacks? I like them because they all have a combination of protein, fiber and a little fat which means they have the goods to be satiating and filling. And, given that a lot of my clients run around a lot, these snacks had to be able to be grabbed out of the fridge (and some can even be eaten in the car). 
​
Without further ado, I present you with my seven favorite on-the-go snacks!
​

Turkey roll with hummus and sliced peppers
Of course turkey gives you a good dose of lean protein but the hummus also gives you a little bit of vitamin A, K as well as minerals like potassium and magnesium thanks to the chickpeas. Sliced pepper will add a nice crunch and some vitamin C. Just lay out a few slices of deli turkey, spread on some hummus and add in pepper slices. Season with a little cayenne if you like heat.  You can totally make this in advance for the week!

Chia pudding with berries
Two tablespoons of chia seeds give you almost 5g of protein, 5g of omega 3s, and a whopping 10g of fiber! Berries add a good kick of fiber, too, as well as vitamins C, A, K, potassium, folate and calcium. You may want to prep these in advance, too, and keep them in the fridge for the week (or just make it the night before). Fill a small jar with 2 Tbsp of chia seeds, a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of honey (to taste). Next, add 3/4 cup of the milk of your choice (I recommend flax or oat milk because they have a thicker consistency). Close the lid and shake it like a cocktail shaker. Add in your berries (I normally use frozen ones) and stick in the fridge!

Monkey balls!
I posted my recipe for these so long ago but now they're all over Pinterest. They're definitely grab-and-go and if you make a BUNCH, go ahead and stick some in the freezer for the future! Note: I was on an elimination diet when I posted the recipe for these so you can be a little looser about your protein powder blend and sweetener of choice but the proportions for the recipe are the same. You just get a good dose of protein if that's a tough macro for you to get enough of (like, if you're vegan or vegetarian). The combo of protein and fat (from the coconut flakes) help even out the carbs from the banana and oats so you don't get a carb crash. Again, for the recipe, click here!

Edamame
We order edamame at Japanese restaurants every time we go but can't seem to remember that Trader Joe's sells them in the freezer section! In just one cup of edamame in the shell, you get 4g of fiber and 10g of protein! Plus, they're incredibly easy to season to your taste: from salt flakes to old bay, truffle salt to tajiín, soy sauce to that amazing Japanese chili pepper blend shichimi togarachi... The possible flavor profiles are endless ;) Simply put that cup and your chosen seasoning in a container and take it with you!

Quest Bars
These next few snacks fall into the category of yummy and best when you're out of town or truly have no time to prep at all. Quest Bars tout having around 20g of (whey) protein, 17g of fiber and very low in carbs (they use sugar alcohols to sweeten instead of sugar so although it brings down the carb count significantly, not everyone can stomach sugar alcohols; just be aware of that). I personally think the only flavors worth checking out are cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough. Keep your intake of these to one per day; that fiber count in a sitting can be no joke if you're not used to getting that much in one go.

Siggi's Yogurt
There are a lot of cool yogurts out there and Siggi's is one of my favorites. They do a great job making a yummy yogurt with relatively less sugar compared to most other brands. That said, their Icelandic-style yogurts have around 15g of protein in them! I'd recommend 2% milkfat for it to be more satiating (although the 0% ones are good, too!).

P3: Portable Protein Packs
I discovered P3 snacks on a road trip at a KwikTrip (shout out to my FAVORITE gas station shopping experience in Wisconsin!). Let's face it: When road tripping, it can feel like a treat to get snacks like chocolate or Doritos (I'm not alone here, right?). But when road trips are not a once-in-a-great-while occasion, finding a quality snack when you still have hours to go before your next meal can be challenging. I found these P3 snacks one day and they've been my go-tos. Now, I'm not saying these are healthier than those turkey hummus rollups above (they're not). But when faced with making the best choice for you in the moment, P3 might be it! They each have a meat (ham or turkey or chicken, etc) as well as a small handful of nuts like cashews or almonds and a little cheese. There are now other combinations but they're relatively well-balanced and at least have the fat and protein content to help keep you full.

I hope these snacks give you some fuel to keep in your back pocket or get your creativity going with other options! Which leads me to this question: What healthy, well-rounded snacks are YOUR favorites! Comment below!

Not only is it soup season but January is also National Soup Month! As a new Minnesotan-by-marriage, I thought I would share my new absolute favorite soup that is VERY popular in the North Star State: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Did you know wild rice is the state grain? I do now!

I’m going to give you the stovetop recipe but have also made the soup in the Instant Harry Potter, just so you know. The directions for stovetop chicken and wild rice soup are pretty universal from what I’ve seen but here are a few things to note:

• I was mainly inspired by this recipe which includes the Instant Pot directions
• Dairy isn’t a friend to my skin so instead of making a roux to thicken the soup, I used a can of full-fat coconut milk
• I also pretty much universally use this vegan Not Chick’n product instead of chicken broth because I LOVE the taste.
• The use of coconut milk plus the vegan stock makes this soup dairy-free, gluten-free and, if you choose not to add chicken, it’s downright vegan and still tastes amazing! If you want to make this completely grain-free, just add in more celery!

​Ready? Let's do this.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp cooking oil (I used avocado oil)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, sliced
5 carrots, sliced
8oz sliced baby bellas/creminis
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 cup wild rice (a special shout out to my client Myra who brought be back REAL MN wild rice as a gift! It was YUMMY)
6 cups chicken broth
1 already-made rotisserie chicken
1 can full-fat coconut milk
3-4 handfuls chopped curly kale

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oil over medium heat. When hot, sauté onion until translucent.
• Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add celery, carrots, mushrooms, bay leaf, Old Bay, salt, rice and broth.
• Bring to a boil; once the boil is reached, lower heat and simmer the soup, partially covered, for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
• While the soup cooks, get your already-cooked-so-it-saves-you-a-lot-of-time rotisserie chicken (preferably from Costco says dad). Get rid of the skin and then start taking the meat off the bones. Cut into small pieces or pull it apart. Place the chicken to the side.
• Turn the heat off and add in the coconut milk. Stir until it’s fully incorporated.
• Then, stir in the kale and cover. Get it in the mixture so the hot soup cooks it down.
• Once cooked down a little, add the chicken in.
• Serve hot!
  
  

This pot of soup can totally last you the work week. It will solidify somewhat in the refrigerator and the rice will absorb a lot of liquid; this is normal. Feel free to add more broth or coconut milk to soupify it if needed.

If you’re like me and like things to be a touch spicy, add in a little sriacha, live on the wild (rice) side!

Enjoy!