Many healthy terms and habits have evolved over time.

Keto now is not what keto originally was.

Tabata now refers to so many variations of intervals it didn’t originally stand for.

And I don’t think the evolution of terms is a bad thing.

HOWEVER, these healthy terms can become distorted and misused to market things to us that actually sabotage our results.

We can also stop seeing the NUANCE in things which makes us demonize foods or training methods that may actually benefit us.

That’s why I want to discuss some of the ways these terms can be used to mislead us or even impact our results and habits!

And I’m excited for Michelle to go over some ways you’ll find food labels try to deceive us and ultimately sabotage our weight loss results!

00:00 – Intro
01:30 – Nutrition Lingo
08:35 – Busting Food Labels
32:38 – Does diet matter most
38:59 – misleading workout terms

00:00 – Intro

Fad diets promise a quick fix or easy solution, but not only do they not lead to LASTING results they could also even be bad for your health and KILL you.

I’m not trying to scare you or be overly dramatic.

But some of the fad diets popping up on social media recently have been incredibly dangerous.

That’s why Michelle wants to share 5 popular fad diets that can have serious consequences to your overall health while NOT leading to the lasting weight loss results you want.

And I’ll share other tips to help you filter through the BS fads you see to make sure you’re implementing a program that will help you rock those results!

Thank you to everyone who has left a review. If you haven’t please leave a review. It really helps spread the fitness love and keeps my podcast sponsor free so you don’t have to listen to any sponsorships!

05:24 – Signs of a Fad Diet

We all think we’d know the signs of a fad diet, but I can tell you…some can really be deceptive and seem a lot healthier than they are.

That’s why I wanted to share some questions I always ask myself and my clients when reviewing a new trend out there.

#1: Is this being promoted by someone I trust to do their research?

#2: What studies have been done about this?

#3: Does it seem too good to be true?

#4: Is it boring? Is it founded in the basics?

#5: Does it rely on drugs or supplements or things I can ONLY buy from this one source?

#6: Does it involved food related items or very restrictive guidelines?

#7: Does it demonize foods groups or huge range of things?

#8: Does it really limit what I can and can’t do in a way I could never sustain?

These questions can really help us assess not only dangerous fads, BUT even styles of eating that may not be right for us long term.

Because as much as what we do to reach a goal isn’t what we will do to maintain it, we have to make HABIT CHANGES based on fundamentals that will allow us to evolve with guidance.

We still want to be laying the foundation!

07:43 – 5 Dangerous Fad Diets – Interview with Redefining Strength Dieitiain Michelle

33:10 – If nothing changes, nothing changes

With chatting about fad diets, I think it is key we remember that if nothing changes, nothing changes.

Even if we lose the weight doing one of these things, or even if it is something doctor recommended like a weight loss drug or surgery…

We will only MAINTAIN our results if we actually change our lifestyle.

Old lifestyle habits are going to yield the same results and the same backslide into our old situation.

So even if you decide some way to get a result is right for you, you need to have an exit strategy.

You’ve got to embrace learning the basics.

And the best way to do that is to see what your current diet and workout routine looks like and make small tweaks.

Assess how foods make you feel. Do you feel full? Hungrier? More energized? Does something lead to more cravings?

Assess what you could cut out to easily adjust your calorie intake.

Focus on learning what is in the foods you eat. Track foods in a tracker without even making changes…just to learn the calorie intake, what a portion looks like and even the protein, carbs and fats in things.

You may be surprised.

From here, make ONE change.

And make that change not feel painful.

If you’re not working out, this may be to add in a walk or a 5 minute session.

If you’re drinking 5 sodas a day, it may mean cutting out one.

It may be swapping one empty snack for a fruit or vegetable.

But recognize, that ultimately you have to change your lifestyle if you want to maintain your results.

You can’t just go back to your old lifestyle and expect to maintain the changes you’ve seen or you’ll end up repeating that dieting roller coaster and see the process become harder and harder over time!

How to manage stress…

When we want to lose weight, gain muscle, achieve amazing body recomposition or even improve our health, we turn to the things that are often easiest to adjust….

Our workouts and our diet.

It’s harder to address things like SLEEP or STRESS so we often focus first on those other two things.

And often through changes to our diet and workouts, we CAN improve our stress levels and sleep.

In this episode we’re going to cover how to manage stress. We’ll look at stress and nutrition and cover some exercises that can help with stress relief.

My amazing Dietitian Brooke will share some key nutrients we all need and even discuss the impact that STRESS can have on the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause!

00:00 – How To Manage Stress
01:49 – Stress is inevitable
05:43 – Stress and Nutrition
29:38 – Macro Tip
32:51 – Mobility Moves

Recipe #1: Chicken and Veggie Freezer meal

Macros without rice: 300 calories, 30 g P/10 g C/17 g F
Macros with rice: 400 calories, 30 g P/31 g C/ 17 g F

Yields 4 servings

1 lb of chicken breast, cut into cubes
2 cups broccoli
2 bell peppers
1 yellow onion
Marinade: 4 TB olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper
Rice: ½ cup cooked (¼ cup dry)

Recipe:
Once everything is cut up, mix chicken and all raw veggies in a bowl

Mix marinade ingredients in a separate bowl and pour on chicken and veggie mix

Put mixture in a gallon sized bag, can freeze for up to 2 months

When ready to make, place freezer bag in fridge for 24 hours to thaw, take out bag and cook

Skillet: heat skillet and saute for 15 minutes

OR

Oven: 425 degrees F, line sheet pan with foil and pour mixture on pan and bake for 20-25 minutes

Can be served over white rice

Recipe #2: Chicken salsa verde freezer crockpot meal

Yields 6 servings

Macros with rice: 400 calories, 43 g P/33 g C/5 g F
Macros without rice: 300 calories, 43 g P/13 g C/5 g F

2lbs chicken breast
15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz jar salsa verde
Frozen bag of bell peppers + onions
1 cup cottage cheese (lowfat, 2% milk fat)

Combine all ingredients (except cottage cheese) in a gallon sized freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months!

When ready to cook, thaw and dump into crockpot

Cook on low for 6 hours or until chicken is cooked

Add cottage cheese, stir, and let cook for 30 more minutes

Can serve over rice

Recipe #3: 5 Ingredient Sheet Pan Salmon

600 calories: 45 g P/45 g C/28 g F

1 Salmon filet (6 oz)
1 TB Nutritional yeast
1 cup Broccoli – chopped
1 cup Sweet potato – diced (133 g)
1 TB Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut up broccoli and sweet potato. Toss with 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper, arrange on a large sheet pan

Cook in the oven for 8 minutes. Take out of the oven and place salmon filet on a sheet pan and drizzle with remaining olive oil.

Cook for 10 more minutes, take out, and let settle. Top with nutritional yeast

Avoid. Cut out. Don’t eat. Don’t do…

There is so much we are told is WRONG with our lifestyles.

Heck, I’ve even heard WATER isn’t healthy according to a commenter on YouTube.

But there is so much nuance to what is good. And so much of what is good depends on what we need and what our current lifestyle is.

As Michelle says “The dose makes the poison.”

That’s why I’m excited to share tips, along with some great advice from Michelle, to help you find your balance over fearing foods and moves and systems. Find the opportunity in the options!

Let’s talk about MENOPAUSE. Sorry ladies, you can’t avoid it.

And for some, the hormonal changes will hit harder than others. But I want to discuss strategies and tips and even some helpful mindsets to implement to help you navigate the hormonal changes.

Because we don’t want to deny the struggles that can occur but we also don’t want them to dictate what we can achieve.

While they will impact how we want to fuel and train, there is so much within our power to control and work around.

That’s why I’m also excited to share tips from one of my magical managers Susa about how she navigated menopause to feel like her most fabulous self!

00:00 – Intro
01:44 – Menopause
05:25 – Managing Menopause
36:01 – Menopause Nutrition
38:00 – Overnight Oats
38:33 – Workout Tip

Recipe: Raspberry Overnight Oats

450 calories:  35 g P/45 g C/17 g F

• ½ cup oats 
• 1 cup greek yogurt 
• 1 TB almond butter
• 1 TB chia seeds
• ¼ cup raspberries

Mix all ingredients in an airtight container. Let refrigerate overnight. Stir before eating, top with raspberries, and enjoy!

Why these ingredients are amazing for menopause

Oats – whole grains contain B vitamins that are important for your mood and the fiber in oats helps prevent constipation and bloating that is common in menopause.

Greek yogurt – contains calcium and vitamin D to help minimize bone loss that occurs in menopause and vitamin D is required for calcium absorption. Also associated with better mood! Greek yogurt is also high in protein and when eaten in the morning will help regulate blood sugar balance, keeping your energy stable throughout the day.

Almond butter – Almonds contain magnesium which help support a balanced mood, bone health, and improved sleep! Night sweats and insomnia are common in menopause and magnesium may help promote sleep by regulating our bodies circadian rhythm by increasing muscle relaxation. 

Chia seeds – high in omega 3 fatty acids! Omega 3’s have been shown to decrease hot flashes and night sweats! Omega 3’s may also help promote better mood and brain cognition.

Raspberries – rich in phytoestrogens which can act like estrogen in the body, reducing symptoms of menopause! During menopause, estrogen slowly decreases in the body and eating foods like raspberries that can help mimic estrogen once digested, may help decrease negative symptoms! 

We all want to better understand what is going on with our body.

And getting an official diagnosis can help.

Labels can help us then assess what we need.

We just have to make sure we don’t let our “labels” become an excuse but truly do focus on controlling what we can control.

That’s why in this episode I want to talk about meeting yourself where you are at and even managing some common labels, like Adrenal Fatigue, that you may find yourself suddenly having to address.

Michelle will share some great tips if you are suffering from Adrenal fatigue or even seeing changes to your motivation and fatigue levels with menopause or stress.