The Defeated Client

Whether or not you’re a fellow trainer, have you ever been in a group class with someone or overhead someone working with their trainer that is defeated before the workout even begins?

This is the client that walks into the room already saying, “I’m not very good at that” or “I have bad knees” or “My balance is awful”.

It’s like they are already making excuses for their performance before we have a chance to get started. Many people seem to think that the trainer is judging them or wondering why they can’t do better when in reality, a great trainer is going to gear the work specifically to your needs and goals.

I can’t WANT you to reach your goals more than YOU want to reach your goals. It is a two way street of effort, trust, respect, and motivation. Coming in with excuses of why you can’t do movements before you were even asked to do any movements implies (at least to me) that you’re going to have an excuse for every potential problem.

If you’re in a position where you and your trainer or coach are not a great match, then find a coach that you do work well with or that you do trust to help you reach your goals.

To the person that walks into the gym already telling me about their bad knees: I’m never going to put you through a workout designed to hurt you or your knees, or do more harm than good. Chances are if we take two seconds and correct form, positioning, speed, range of movement, and have a clear goal of where each exercise should be felt, then the workout should benefit you and get your the results you’re looking to achieve.

To the client walking into the room already defeated, making excuses, and inevitably going to do whatever you want anyway: I am not your best fit for a trainer or coach. You may be better off with a different type of workout altogether. Find what suits your personality and your goals so that you attend each session with confidence and come away feeling BETTER than when you arrived.

People tend to make excuses for what they do not want to do OR for what they feel they may not be great at. As a general rule, people like to feel successful and want to feel like they are doing a great job at the task at hand.

Guess what? As a trainer I am totally judging! But I’m not judging you. I’m wondering who you’ve worked with before that left you with zero confidence and left you feeling like you had to walk in the room with disclaimers in case your performance was awful.

Remember that your trainer or coach is supposed to make you feel confident, inspired, and like the biggest bad ass that ever walked the planet. So if you’re getting anything less, I’d find someone or something that does make you feel that way. Fitness is supposed to be fun. It is supposed to make you healthy, energized, and on top of the world.

Find something good for your health that you actually love and give it everything you’ve got!

Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins

This is such a great treat for that something sweet that won’t break the calorie bank. I love that it is allergy friendly. My version is gluten free, vegan, and soy free.

Ingredients:

2 scoops	Vanilla Protein Powder *I like Vega brand*
1 tsp ½ C ½ C 1 C ½ C	Baking Powder Almond Flour Natural Almond Butter Unsweetened Applesauce Chocolate Chips *I use Enjoy Life brand*

Directions:

Combine the protein powder, baking powder, almond flour, almond butter, and applesauce in a food processor and blend until all ingredients are combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop batter into muffin tins sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes.

Makes 8 muffins: 153 calories/ 21g carbs/ 7g protein/ 5g fat

Write Down Your Goals

Everyone has goals they want to achieve and New Year’s Eve always seems to be the time everybody gets brave enough to say them out loud. Skipping ahead past my rant about the fact that goals can always be set and adjusted no matter what day it is, let me help guide some of your goal writing for 2018.

Goals for the New Year do not need to be fitness and diet related. I do like the idea of keeping intentions positive and of course if they benefit your health that’s an added bonus. Also, try thinking positively about what you actually want TO do rather than what you don’t want to do. Instead of focusing on limiting red meat, think about incorporating more plant based protein or lean protein from chicken, turkey, fish. This is just an example but you see where I’m going here. New Year, New Goals, Positive Vibes.

If your goals are SMART, you’ll have a much better chance at successfully writing them down, forming them into something you can look at every day, and you’ll know exactly when you’ve reached them.

Rather than a vague promise to yourself to workout more this year, it’s important to decide how much exactly is “more”, how often you’ll be doing this, and is there a bigger goal to be achieved such as completing a certain number of hours of exercise, learning a new skill such as mountain biking, being able to hold a plank on your forearms and toes for a minute, etc. The same goes for nutrition goals. If we simply say we want to eat better- what exactly does “better” mean? Do you win if you eat half a large pizza versus a whole one?

The goals are yours and not for anyone to judge, give an opinion on, or try and adjust. These need to be specific to you and what you’re looking to accomplish.

Say you’re trying to cook more meals at home instead of eating out. So say that more specifically and you’ve got yourself something to aim for. How about this- This year I am going to limit eating out by cooking dinner at least twice a week and bringing my lunch from home to work at least once a week until the end of 2018. Now we know exactly what we’re aiming to do (cook our own meals and pack a lunch) and it is measurable (we’re cooking twice per week and packing a lunch from home once per week). It is attainable because we have the skills to prepare at least a couple of meals and it is realistic in that we’re only aiming to cook twice out of seven days and pack a lunch once out of five days. We’re not aiming for perfection and not allowing ourselves to eat out again, ever. It is timely. We are doing it this year and it is a realistic enough goal to set for a long period of time. Chances are it will become routine and we can start cooking more and packing more lunches. If not, cooking twice a week is still manageable.

Try this for yourself and see what happens when you formulate a goal that you feel good about. Then make it pretty, hang it where you’ll see it everyday, and go achieve it!

 

Welcome 2018!

One of my goals this year is to write more and I figured there is no better place to start than right here on my blog that I haven’t touched in a year. I believe in catching the excitement as soon as it hits, so rather than waiting until January 1st to publish something, here we go!

Be on the lookout for more from in 2018. More nutrition discussion, workout posts, and healthy, positive tips in general.

Keep the positive vibes rolling!

Goal Setting- Finding the TRUE Goal

National Nutrition Month is a great time to start fresh and focus on making healthier food choices for yourself and your family. The way to stick with these healthy changes is to find some intrinsic motivation. What is driving you, what will keep you accountable, what is the goal or result you are looking for?

When I am working with clients, the first thing I ask them is what their goals are. We  need to be on the same page so I can help coach them to the best of my ability. The program needs to fit their individual needs and needs to help them reach the goals they have set for themselves regardless of what goals I may have in mind.

I hear the typical answers: I want to lose weight. I want to be thin for my cousins wedding. I need to tone up.

While this can be a great start, it is only a start. Statements like this are only the beginning stages of goal setting. This is where we start to play 20 questions and figure out what is the TRUE goal here.

Take the weight loss goal. I want to lose weight. Great. Why? Do you simply like seeing a certain number on the scale, do you feel better at a certain weight, do you associate weight loss with other side effects like increased energy, improved mood, feeling better about yourself?

Sometimes a client will take a step back and realize, yes I actually just want to have more energy during day and not fall asleep at my desk by 2pm. They’re thinking weight loss will solve this problem, but now we actually have a plan. How can we increase energy? Perhaps it is the food choices and timing of meals that we can adjust. Guess what? By following a healthier nutrition plan full of nutrients, energy boosting foods, and keeping your meals small enough to fuel but not send you into a food coma you will see your energy increased as well as some weight loss if your new plan is an improvement from an old unhealthy plan.

Had we simply left “weight loss” as the goal, we could have done that by skipping meals, falling into fad diet gimmicks but the energy problem would not have been solved. See why it is important to figure out the actual goal and then the steps that will lead to the goal?

I ask clients this question all the time- Would you be happier if the number on the scale showed you had lost 10 pounds but your clothes were still the same size, or would you be happier if the scale showed you only lost 2 pounds but you were able to fit into a smaller clothing size? Meaning, is it the scale that defines your success or is it actually another goal you have in mind?

Step one is being able to articulate the actual goal and from there finding the steps that will take you in that direction. So step back and ask yourself, what is it you are truly hoping to accomplish? What steps can you take to get there?

Recipe: Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie Bowl- my answer to wanting something sweet but still feeling like I’m eating something instead of just drinking a smoothie in the morning. I feel more satisfied if I chew my breakfast as opposed to drinking it.

This is a recipe that is all about learning the method and then adding your own favorite flavors. I opted for a berry smoothie bowl:

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup frozen strawberries*

1/4 cup fresh strawberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

6oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp. walnuts, raw and unsalted

Combine half a banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, and almond milk in a blender and blend until smooth.

In a bowl, layer 3oz Greek yogurt and then the smoothie mixture. Top with remaining fresh blueberries and banana. Add remaining 3oz Greek yogurt, top with fresh strawberries, and garnish with walnuts.

Enjoy!

 

*I like the consistency of adding some frozen berries instead of ice to blend the smoothie. Instead of buying frozen berries, purchase fresh and freeze them ahead of time after washing and prepping.

Breakfast Tacos

Eating healthier can be fun with the right flavors and ingredients. Challenge your culinary skills and taste buds this month and don’t be afraid to experiment. You might land on something amazing!

This recipe was a complete accident, just happened to be inspired and went for it!

The inspiration all started from this beautiful bouquet of lettuce.

 Super fresh from the Farmer’s Market, still attached to the root!

Needing a quick snack, I added some turkey to a nice big leaf of lettuce and made a little lettuce wrap. Suddenly it hit me- I needed a little more flavor. I quickly scrambled an egg and TADA! Breakfast Tacos were created. Super light and delicious and takes no more than 5 minutes to assemble.

Feel free to get fancy with extra garnish such as avocado, fresh tomato, or cilantro.

Coming Up in March

March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.

This is the perfect opportunity to get your entire family involved. Try new recipes, experiment with different colors and flavors and make it a family event in the kitchen.

Grilled Watermelon Salad

If you have never tried grilling watermelon, I recommend trying it at least once. The heat brings out the natural sweetness of the melon. The great grill marks gives the melon extra pizazz for presentation, and the fruit takes on a slightly smoky taste.

Two things I love in the summer months: Grilling and Refreshing Salads. This is the perfect combo!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Watermelon

Fresh Spinach and Arugula

Feta Cheese crumbled

Walnuts

Balsamic Vinaigrette (try making your own)

Rinse the watermelon, and slice it into half moons (good surface area for grilling)

Add the sliced watermelon to an preheated grill or grill pan and cook for a few minutes on each side. Just looking for grill marks here.

Bring the watermelon off the grill and once it is cool enough to handle, remove rind and dice melon into cubes.

Assemble the salad with fresh spinach and arugula, cubed watermelon, a sprinkle or walnuts and a sprinkle of feta cheese. Serve with dressing on the side.

Save Time on Breakfast

We get it- it’s a mad rush to get out the door on time getting the kids to school, sometimes different locations, making sure they have their homework, their lunch, and that you have everything you need for your day.

This is still no excuse to skip breakfast! It may mean that breakfast needs to be portable and eaten in the car, and here at ABLE Nutrition & Fitness, we have some ideas on how to make it happen.

1. PB&J– always a popular option. Take whole grain Sandwich Thins (smaller for kids, less calories for adults) add any nut butter and jam. Make it fancier with natural almond butter and fresh strawberry preserves or even better- fresh strawberry slices (whoa, too fancy? ;)) This can be made in 2 minutes in the morning, or even better, the night before. Get it in baggies the night before so they are ready and waiting for you in the morning.

2. Cereal– Skip the bowl, spoon, and milk if you have to. Combine a healthier cereal option (think high fiber, low sugar) with dried fruit and nuts. Again, this can be thrown into a baggie the night before and can be eaten as finger food while driving to school.

Start with these simple examples and as you get used to the routine of planning and prepping ahead, start branching out for more variety. The kids can help too- let them assemble their own breakfast baggies!