Whatever your reasons are for transitioning to a vegan diet; animal rights, environmental issues, improving your health, it can be quite difficult and confusing to pull together a healthy menu.  Eating a plant-based diet is like any other diet; you need balance to ensure you are getting all your nutrients and you need to realize it’s ok to not be perfect!  

​First a little information on what exactly protein is and how our bodies use this vital nutrient.  Protein is an essential macro-nutrient our bodies cannot live without.  It contains nitrogen, which is responsible for the growth and repair of every cell in your body.  Protein is made up of twenty different amino acids, 9 of which our bodies cannot produce.   So we need to get these 9 essential amino acids from the food we eat. 

​When you think of going on a “diet” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If you thought lower my carb intake, you’re not alone.  Although there are a myriad of diets out there, one of the most common misconceptions is that you have to banish carbs to get the body of your dreams. This simply is not true.
It is true that if you drop your carbohydrate intake, and in this case I am talking about starchy processed carbs, your weight will drop, but honestly, a lot of it will be from water. 

​A foam roller is a piece of hard-celled foam in the shape of a cylinder, or ball.  It comes in different levels of densities from soft to hard, which allow different levels of pressure to be applied to your muscles.  You can get them in 1’ or 3’ lengths or 6” – 8” posture balls.  They could be smooth, ridged or …… and some even vibrate. You could even use a tennis ball to get at some hard to reach areas like behind the shoulder blades. 
 
Foam rolling is also called myofascial release and is done to work out the “knots” in your muscles, much like therapeutic massage or self-massage. The knots are myofascial adhesions that develop in our muscles through stress, overuse, movement imbalances or just everyday training.

We all know that drinking water is good for us, but do you know why?  Do you know how much you should be drinking?  Are you aware of all the benefits of drinking water? IF not, it’s time to learn why you need focus on the most important macronutrient: WATER.

​Like many professional women, whether an entrepreneur, executive, or administrator, you probably spend the majority of your workday sitting at your desk.  I’m also willing to bet you don’t just work 9 – 5.  I think those days ended back in the 80’s. 
 
Sitting for long periods of time has such a damaging impact on your health it is now being referred to as the new “smoking” Check out my article The Dangers of Sitting for more information.

If you're like most people, your day is filled with work, household chores, errands, taking care of kids, grandkids, or aging parents and trying to squeeze in a little "me time".  Part of that me time, is mostly likely fitting in a workout. And not just any workout, you want one that's effective, time efficient & that you can do right at home. I mean, who has time to drive to the gym? You're a busy woman! Even if you do, you've been running around all day, and don't want to take up any more of your time in the car.
 

​We all know that if you want to lose weight you need to burn off more calories than you take in. Well that’s a very simplified way of looking at it, but in general this is what needs to happen in order to burn body fat.
 
What complicates matters is that we all digest foods a little differently and how many calories we burn through out the day is also very individual. 

​With all the activity trackers out there, I think it’s safe to say that most people know it’s important to get your steps in each and every day. The surgeon general recommends you strive for 10,000 steps per day to maintain a healthy fitness level. That equals about five miles a day. This is also approximately the equivalent to 30 minutes of physical activity. 

I work with a lot of men and women trying to teach them how to shift their mindset from being on a diet to learning how to create a lifestyle that supports their goals. One of the biggest struggles they have is learning how to eat out at a restaurant without “blowing” their diet.  It's much easier to just eat at home, since you know exactly what is going into your food.  When eating out, you have no idea just how much fat, sodium, or other hidden calories could be hidden in your meal.