But it’s essential that it contains enough protein, fat and fiber to keep you full. This will make you  feel satiated and go into lunch balanced.

When making your morning smoothie, it’s not enough that it’s pretty and fruity- Make sure it ticks all the nutritional boxes.

How to build a better smoothie

Base

A simple, nutrient dense, easy to digest smoothie starts off with a good base base.

• Liquid – Water or unsweetened nut milks. (I personally prefer the milks for consistency and flavor)
• Ensure you have a good quality protein. I prefer protein powder, but you can also use use yogurt or kefir. (If your body does well with dairy).
• Avoid large quantities of sugar, specifically fructose sugar from excess fruit. Keep fruit to one serving.
• Throw in some healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied. Coconut oil, nut butters, flax oil, and MCT oil are all great to add in a smoothie.

Boosters

To build upon with other ingredients.

• Add your mix-ins or boosters-  more fiber (chia or flax seeds),  greens, spirulina, turmeric, cacao, bee pollen, maca etc.

For smoothie and smoothie bowl recipes, click here for a bunch!

Cheers to balanced blending!

Even if you have the best intentions, they may not be enough to get you out to bed an hour earlier or off the couch and away from Netflix. The truth is that you won’t be motivated every day. There will be times when you are super pumped and others times you’ll need to work harder to get going; so don’t beat yourself up over it.

The most important thing is to get real with yourself.  Are you missing a session once in a while, or are you skipping your workouts regularly?

If you need a little boost to get moving, try some of these ways to get you (and keep you) motivated.

1. Stop Making exercise about how you want to look

When exercise is only about the way you look, more often than not, you end up just giving up. Aesthetic goals will only take you so far. The way you look at exercise is really the key to staying motivated long term.

Shift your perspective from I have to workout to lift my butt, get flatter abs, build better arms, work off that piece of cake… to I deserve this workout. Commit to moving your body because you feel awesome and energized when you do. Because love your body, not because you want to change it.

2. Do something you enjoy

Yes. Exercise can be and should be something you look forward to. If you hate running, don’t sign up for a race in the hopes of forcing yourself to train for it. You will be bored out of your mind and you won’t stick to it. Find activities you like and actually want to do.

And don’t be afraid to spice it up. If you never change your routine, you will hit a plateau and stop getting results.  Talk about demotivating.

3. Cut the crap.

I don’t have time to exercise. We’ve all said this as at some point.

But here’s the deal– you’ll never get everything done. There will ALWAYS be more work that you can finish. More emails to send, more laundry to fold, more taking care of others that you can do.

Now, I know sometimes our schedules can get crazy, but we always have time for things we consider a priority. So the next time you find yourself not being able to fit in workouts on the reg. –try this exercise.

And if you need some quick do anywhere workouts that you can fit in anytime, try this 300 Rep workout, or this HIIT workout.

4. Understand your habit loop.

If you find yourself consistently skipping your workouts, it’s time to look a little deeper at why this has become a habit. In his book, The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg explains how our habits are responsible for most of what we do. And to change a habit, we need to understand the entire process.

He explains this cycle as The Habit Loop.

The Trigger: the event that starts the habit.
The Routine: the habit itself.
The Reward: the benefit or pay off you receive the from the routine.

To understand your own habits, you need to identify the factors of your loops. Once you have figured out your habit loop around exercise, you can look for ways to create a new routine.

5. Plan it out.

Sit down with your schedule at the beginning of every week. Where can you fit in your workouts? Write it down. Treat it as you would any other appointment. Show up. This may not seem as urgent as other commitments in your calendar, but it is. The commitments we make to ourselves matter.

6. Be social

Turn your social calendar into active + social.  Have a regular Saturday morning coffee date with your friends-Why not a yoga + coffee date? Signup for dance classes with your significant other, learn to ski, or go hiking with your family. Making exercise fun can change the way you look and health and fitness. (Which brings us back to point number 1).

In the comments below, I’d love for you to share how you stay motivated.

Have a great weekend!

Ana

I also get random people at parties and networking events giving me a detailed breakdown of what they eat and their current exercise plan…But we’ll save those stories for another time.

Since many of the questions I get are the same, I thought I’d answer the most common questions I get asked. That being said, I don’t like to make generalizations. Everyone’s physical, emotional and nutritional needs are very different. And there is so much to consider like your hormones, digestion, activity level, stress levels, dietary restrictions and food preferences.

I’ve put together what seems to be the 4 most burning questions people have regarding health and wellness, and answer them in a way I believe to be the most beneficial for the largest amount of people.

Here we go.

How many calories should I eat?

We’ve been fed a lot of food lies and this is one of the biggest ones- All calories are created equal. In my opinion, calorie counting is a waste of time. First of all, the quality of your food and calories is über important! Focusing on calories ignores the fact that all foods, when broken down into macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) are metabolized and used differently.  And more importantly, each macronutrient will have a different effect on your hormones.

And most people counting calories, are not eating enough healthy fat, which is essential for health. Fat keeps you fuller longer which can help curb your cravings, improves your metabolism, makes your skin glow, and helps your body absorb other nutrients- specifically A, D. E and K.

Should I focus on Cardio or Strength training to lose fat?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this question from new clients or people I meet at a dinner party- especially women. And you know what, I’m not surprised. There is so much conflicting information and we’ve be told for so long that calories in vs calories out is the most important equation when it comes to fat loss. As we’ve been fed the calorie myth, we have also been fed the cardio myth.

The secret to fat loss is being consistent with resistance training and maintaining blood sugar balance. More muscle mass boosts your metabolism -so the more you lift the more fat you can burn.

Also, if you’re slaving away on the treadmill all day and starving yourself, you’re body isn’t going to have the fuel it needs to build muscle. This is also a recipe for destroying your hormones and increasing stress.  Not to mention, you’ll probably feel like shit and will not be consistent with your exercise plan.

Before you start emailing and tweeting me about what I just said, I’m not saying you should never do any. Cardio, in the right quantities and at the right intensity can help with fat loss.  But there is a big difference between a 20-minute HIIT session a few times a week, a de-stressing hike or bike ride, and doing back to back spin classes or getting on that treadmill everyday for an hour.

What are your kitchen staples?

I love food and trying new recipes, and I try to eat in season as often as possible-higher in nutrients and easier on the wallet; so what’s in my fridge and pantry changes often. But there are a few things that I always have in my kitchen no matter what.

Coconut Oil – I add it to my smoothies, add it to oatmeal, bake and cook with it.
Leafy Greens – Kale, spinach, chard, collard, arugula (whatever I could find or am in the mood for that week). In a salad, sautéed, in smoothies or juiced.  They are inexpensive and back a serious nutritional punch.
Lemons – For everything. I add it to water, salad dressing, fish. It makes everything takes better.
Avocados – Again, For everything. In my smoothies, in my salad, on toast, as a salad dressing, or with a squeeze of lemon and salt and eat it with a spoon.
Raw nuts – A quick and easy snack and I can take them anywhere.

I don’t have enough time, what can I do?

This is probably the number one question I get asked. (Technically, it’s part question and part excuse.)

Here’s the deal-you’ll never get everything done. There will ALWAYS be more work that you can finish. More emails to send, more laundry to fold, more taking care of others that you can do. (I’m talking to you mamas!) But, making small shifts everyday that help you create a healthier balance, is possible.

What makes this question so difficult to answer is that it’s usually not about the tips and tricks I teach my clients. That’s part of it, but there is usually something deeper.

To better answer this question please take a look at these two posts:

1. How to create more balance. You can find it here.
2. How to practice self-care. You can find it here.

If you would like more detailed information about your personal needs, please schedule a call here.

In the comments below, I’d love for you to share the biggest action step you’ll take from these answers.

Un abrazo,

Ana