Weekend Workouts & Detox Day 6

What a glorious Saturday! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I have already accomplished so much today – I’m loving The Vabulous Life SpringDetox!

I slept like a baby last night after my killer interval workout! I really wanted to get some solid cardio in and boy did I fish my wish, haha! I took a nice, long walk afterwards to make sure I got all the lactic acid out of my muscles….SO important after an intense workout!

Morning 6 was kicked off with an easy 6 mile bike ride to and from yoga class with the incredible Alex Holmes! I’m feeling stronger and more confident each week I practice with her – it’s such an empowering way to kick off the weekend!

Afterwards Phil and I walked to the farmers market & scooped up some goodies while taking in the sunshine!

 

Detox Day #6

• Morning Elixir
• Breakfast: Green Flax Smoothie
• Lunch: Fish & Avocado lettuce wraps with plantain chips
• Snack: Beet, Carrot, Ginger & Apple Juice
• Dinner: Broiler Salmon w/ cauliflower, shiitake mushroom quinoa
• Dessert: Chocolate Chia Pudding & Plantain Chips

What are you doing to enjoy your weekend?!?

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Nourishment & Detox Day 4

Happy Thursday! While it was a little harder to get up this morning, I did manage to squeeze 30 minutes of yoga in to start Day 4 of The Vabulous Life Spring Detox! Remember awhile back I mentioned I was asked to consult on the nutrition side of a holistic approach to coaching athletics, specifically swimming?!?! Well, today is our first meeting and I couldn’t be more nervous…probably why I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. Whenever I am feeling this way its so important to get some yoga in…there is something about a great flow that brings me a sense of power, courage and calm I can’t get anywhere else, its AWESOME! In case you were wondering, I was mighty impressed with myself for balancing my phone and successfully snapping this photo, haha!

Anyway, this meeting is a great first step in exploring what I have to offer in the way of nutrition. One of the biggest things holding me back from diving in is trying to figure out how my knowledge, talent and passion can best serve both myself/family & the community/society at large. I love working with the kids I coach and believe strongly there needs to be a change in the way the next generation relates to food/nutrition, so hopefully this is opens up possibilities for bridging that gap between the two – we shall see!!

Phil and I are on Detox Day 4 which is the last ‘preparation’ day before the middle seven ‘detox’ days! We took this opportunity to indulge in one of Phil’s favorites, black beans. Even though we can eat some more easily digestible beans throughout these middle seven days, black beans are not included on that list. We both got home so late I completely forget about the 1/2 avocado I was going to put on top of dinner until we were about half way through…oh well! Dinner was still super satisfying, filling and nutritionally balanced without it.

Tonight we’re going to a concert with some friends, YAY!, so its another rushed dinner for us. Its super important to make time for primary food & evenings out with friends, especially when you’re doing a cleanse or detox.  Scheduling  fun activities with friends will keep you from feeling isolating or deprived which can sometimes happen when following a detox…there are tons of non-food related things to help you feel nourished emotionally while you’re nourishing yourself nutritionally.

 

Detox Day 4

• Breakfast: Green Flax Smoothie
• Snack #1: Pear & Pumpkin Seeds
• Lunch: Tuna Salad w/mixed greens
• Snack #2: Hummus & Celery
• Dinner: Quinoa & Black Bean Salad with 1/2 Avocado
• Dessert: Chocolate Quinoa Pudding

 

How do you nourish yourself?!?!

 

 

Post Meet Week/Back to Reality

                                Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day to All!  The weekend’s meet was long, loud and chaotic but successful! For the most part, the kids swam well and there was little to no drama – just A LOT of swimming! In addition to the kids success this weekend, I got to talking with some other coaches and may be collaborating on a program to help incorporate better nutrition education for swimmers. While many parents know they should be fueling their child athletes better, how to do so isn’t always intuitive! As we saw kids walking around with doughnuts, fruit snacks, chicken fingers/fries and various other unhealthy ‘foods’ our conversation as coaches couldn’t help but naturally take a turn in that direction. While things are still in early stages, it is incredibly uplifting to know there are other coaches with similar philosophies about swimming – we have a responsibility to our kids that extends way beyond the pool!

This weekend reinforced the ripple effect concept and confirmed that taking this path of health and wellness was the right move! No matter what you’re looking to achieve in life, all you have to do is listen to your heart, take steps down the path that are right for you and believe in yourself!

Getting back into the office grind is a little tough today but the prospect of moving forward with a new passion project is carrying me through!

What are some passion project you’re working on?

Foodie Friday!

Though its rainy and temperatures are dropping again, its still the weekend, so WOOOOHOOOOO!!! Happy Friday!

Since diving season started my weeknights are getting later and later. I am not getting home until about 10pm some nights, so I have to opt for something easy to make, easy to eat and easy to digest! When it comes to awesome food, simple is best! This spicy zucchini and quinoa stir fry has both intense flavor and incredible nutritional value! I can’t decide which I do faster, make or eat, this insanely delicious dish!

ALSO, it’s gluten, dairy, soy and meat free; though I am eating wayyy later in the night then I would like, I am not giving my body anything difficult to digest.

Spicy Zucchini and Quinoa Stir Fry:

• 1/2 sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1/3 cup homemade veggie stock
• 2 zucchini squash
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat tbsp of EVOO over med. heat while mincing onion and garlic and chopping the zucchini squash. Cook down onions and add garlic once the onions become translucent…stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the red pepper flakes to the onions and garlic – let cook together for about a minute before adding little bit of the stock.  Add zucchini and allow to cook for a few minutes until tender…add remaining stock, cooked quinoa, cayenne, salt and pepper. Allow mixture to cook together until well incorporated and heated through before diving in!

While I feel like my description is lengthy, it takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish; which is perfect for someone like me who is looking for homemade, nutritious, flavorful food with minimal effort!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy!

Service Day Success!

HELLLLLLLLLLO and Happy Monday! I hope all those reading had a wonderful weekend and are kicking off their work weeks with a SMILE!

This weekend I had the privilege of representing my school at the Rittenhouse Square Farmer’s Market in Philadelphia. As some of you may or may not recall, this is the market I frequent every weekend so I felt a particular sense of pride rocking my red this Saturday.

For several hours myself and some fellow IIN students spread the word about our school and healthy living – creating the ripple effect right here at home!

It felt amazing to speak to people in the community about what we’re doing and the importance of Health Coaches. For us, healthy living and responsible consumption is a way of life, growing in popularity but still a long way away from being mainstream!

I feel like by taking it to the streets, we were really getting the word out there! I’m totally riding high from the weekend and hoping to use this momentum to my advantage this week!

Find what drives you and grab hold!

Home Stretch (cleanse day 3)

Morning WordPress World!

So its the final day of my 3 day juice cleanse and I feel great! I admittedly had fears of being stuck in a bathroom, uncontrollable sweating, feelings of starvation, etc.. but I have experienced none of the above! Aside of a few minor headaches – nothing compared to what I get normally anyway – I have been feeling more at ease, healthier and a bit lighter (which helps with getting into those bridesmaid and maid of honor dresses!).

I am confident the rest of the day will float by with the same ease as the last two and I feel strongly the morning shake I’ve been sucking down will be incorporated into my regular diet because its super yummy!

While its not over yet, I would say this is one of the best things I have done for my overall health since I began vegetarian 12 years ago!

YAY juice cleanse!

Power of Food

So a friend and fellow IIN student shared this on her facebook the other day and I just had to pass it along to the blogger community!

Click the Photo to read a powerful article about Nutrition, Food as Medicine and the Medical Community!

Never forget the power of food!

 

Chia Chillin’

For as healthy as I am, I have only recently gotten on the Chia bandwagon. With a few more weddings around the corner, and lots of craziness the last couple weeks, I have been in desperate need of an extra boost – both in energy and in my diet. Chia seeds are a fabulous source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, a multitude of trace minerals, fiber and antioxidants!

While I have always been a huge fan of the ‘Immortal Health Elixir’ known as Kombucha, the ones with Chia seeds in them freaked me out! Kombucha is loaded with probiotics, amino acids and electrolytes so I didn’t see the need to add something else in the mix.

I always thought mixing in Chia seeds was the weirdest thing but when I read that allowing seeds to sit in liquid to form a gelatinous layer allows for slower digestion/break down of the carbohydrates, I decided to stop being such a baby and give it a try!

While I can’t say I am in love with this whole textured drink thing -something I am sure you have to get used to – I like the flavor and how full a feel after just a few sips.

The health benefits are endless and you can put them in almost anything. Unlike the more popular flax seed, chia seeds don’t need to be ground/broken down in order to receive all the amazing benefits. And while this may not be the driving force behind my consumption, they’re said to have amazing weight loss benefits (likely from the full feeling you get from even the smallest amount).

Start chia chillin and see how you feel!!

Enjoy!

Adding More

Happy Wednesday! I am on day three of my week cleanse and feeling amazing!

One of the things I noticed when discussing cleansing is people always make a really disgusted face. I can’t read their minds but I assume its something like: “eww that sounds awful! NO WAY you’d get me to starve myself, drink funky, smelly juices and spend my day on the toilet!” The face is usually followed by something like: “Oh cool! So, like is it uncomfortable? Are you like running to the bathroom all the time? Can you eat?”

I admit when I started cleansing I had no idea how the process worked and thought along those same lines. I thought I would have to stop eating, be really uncomfortable and pretty much hate life. Instead, I feel like I am eating more than I normally do trying to cram more raw, detoxifying foods into every day!

Every cleanse is different but instead of looking at the process from a ‘taking away’ point of view, I choose to look at it as an ‘adding more’ point of view. My morning smoothie is a perfect example!
Instead of my standard protein shake, I have been adding kale into the mix to boost the health benefits of my breakfast! Does it taste the same?!?!….no! haha, but it’s still yummy!

Not only am I adding more into my diet but I am gaining so many other benefits from the increase of healthy foods and reduction of toxins in my system!

The concept of adding more vs. deprivation goes beyond cleanses!! Applying this perspective when approaching healthy eating can be much more motivating! See where you can add more in to improve your healthy everyday!

Food for Life

I just couldn’t help myself when I came across this! I have been talking a lot recently about getting out of your body what you put into it, so I figured today was the perfect time to post about it!

One of the things Josh, founder of IIN, talks extensively about is the idea that your blood is made from what you eat. Personally, I feel like looking at food consumption that way puts a whole new spin on “you are what you eat.”

The nutrient rich or nutrient-less food we consume determines our blood composition and in a lot of ways, how effectively or efficiently our bodies function. I know with my own diet I recently spent a week allowing myself to indulge in things I normally wouldn’t put in my body and reducing my exercise by 75%.

In just one week I felt my body slow and begin to feel heavy. I know it sounds odd but everything from walking to breathing felt a bit more difficult and I can’t help by attribute it to what I was and wasn’t putting in my body!

Whether you give my little experiment a try or not is entirely up to you but don’t forget….you get out of your body what you put in it!