"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you most want for what you want right now." ~Zig Ziglar
I have been MIA (from blog land) for quite some time now. During this time, I have taken a step back and really tried to assess where I am in this business of mine and where I want to go. What I have come up with is this: While I LOVE the fitness aspect, and of course I think exercise is super important, I think this country is in a nutrition crisis, and I feel REALLY passionate about that. I took some time, got my Nutritionist certification, and am now available to do nutritional consulting alongside my personal training. Technically, before, I wasn't really "allowed" to talk about nutrition as a personal trainer. Now, I am. And talk about it I will!
I am taking the "PALEO" approach to nutrition now. Paleo refers to the "Paleolithic" era...aka caveman. Not that we all need to eat/live like cavemen, but just taking an approach to nutrition that is natural and sustainable. Lean, pasture raised meats, lots of fresh vegetables, some fruits and healthy fats such as avocados and coconut. Research shows that our ancestors were fit, lean and healthy eating what they could hunt and gather off the land. The agricultural revolution is when everything started to go downhill, health~wise. Disease and degeneration came because in the reduction of good nutrition in favor of cheap, quick meal solutions. And our nation's health started to decline. The Paleo lifestyle brings back vibrant health and high energy levels because of whole, nourishing foods.
I am extremely passionate about educating my clients about good nutrition. Especially when it comes to children. I want to empower women to make healthy choices not just for themselves, but for their families as well. I think so many times we feed our children "filler"(often times processed foods)~even while maintaining a strict healthy diet for ourselves~but it's so detrimental to their development. I have been guilty of this in the past, but I changed my thinking....I don't want to feed my children anything that isn't going to do something FOR their body in a good way. Protein for muscle building, vegetables and fruit for vitamins and minerals and nuts and avocados for healthy fats and brain development. It is a little more expensive, but so worth it down the road!
I am also going to try listing my food journal for a while....so ya'll can get an idea of what a healthy Paleo~type diet looks like.
Meal 1: 2 eggs over hard, cooked in coconut oil, black coffee
Meal 2: ground beef and lamb with pasta sauce over spaghetti squash, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash
Meal 3: arugula and spinach salad with carrots, onions, fennel, 1/2 avocado, can of tuna, sesame oil and rice vinegar
Meal 4: carne asada salad: cabbage, carrots, onions, carne asada, salsa, 1/2 avocado+ lime
Snack: a few handfuls of nuts
