“I tracked ALL of my food for EIGHT years!”

On May 1, 2019 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Just kidding. Kind of. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I was and am a big fan of tracking macros. However, I did NOT personally track all of my food for eight years. In fact, I’m kind of appalled by that statement (and I’ll tell you why, shortly).

But let’s rewind for a second: have you heard that you *have* to track your food in order to lose weight? Do you believe that if only you were better about consistently measuring, weighing, tracking and logging your food that you would have the body you desire?

Yeah, I used to believe that, too. Largely because of posts from influential fitness professionals, “bragging” that they had tracked their food for XX amount of time. Surely that was the secret to their ultra-shredded physiques? I mean, I’ve even created my own sort of “highlight reel” on my own Instagram, and I share different nutritional strategies on my Facebook.

So, when is too much too much, and can tracking ever be a bad thing? Read on!

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How-To: Eat Healthfully for Two (or More!)

On February 25, 2019 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, UncategorizedLeave a comment

All right, I have to admit that this topic is going to be deeply interesting only for a special subset of my readers: mamas-to-be/pregnant mamas, this is all for you and your unborn babes.

Pregnancy can be a wild roller coaster of hormones, emotions and cravings. It can be the most amazing, joyful and wonderful experience OR it can be the longest and most excruciating 9+ months of your life. Or somewhere in the middle, depending on the day.

I really hope the former situation is true for you. Did you know that what you eat can actually make a difference to your pregnancy experience? You often hear, “you are what you eat,” and when you consider that all of your baby’s (or babies’) tissues are made up of building blocks from the foods that you consume, it’s literally true!

Of course, please discuss ANY nutritional recommendations or strategies with your primary health care providers. These are just my personal top tips as a nutrition coach AND as a mom.

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Back on Track with Back to Basics: Nutrition Priorities

On December 23, 2018 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, UncategorizedLeave a comment

So, in between bites of cookies and swigs of eggnog, you might already be thinking ahead to January (or perhaps even thinking about strategies to get you through the holidays with your belt holes intact). If you skip breakfast, does that mean you can go all out at the buffet? If you have apple cider vinegar every morning, does it neutralize the calories in the apple pie? What about your great-great-aunt’s schnitzel? It has PROTEIN, right? Protein is good! (?)

With the amount and complexity of nutrition information (often confusing and conflicting, too) swirling around on the internet these days, it’s easy to get overloaded and overwhelmed – so much so that you figure you might as well stick to the sticky buns, since it’s hopeless anyway. I’m here to equip you with some sanity for the season. I’m leveraging the great work done by Eric Helms of 3-D Muscle Journey to help you get clear on the most important nutrition fundamentals, IN ORDER. You can see videos 1-5 on Facebook or my weekly Instagram video series. Read on to dispel fiction from fact when it comes to the fundamentals of eating for your fitness.

Continue reading “Back on Track with Back to Basics: Nutrition Priorities” →

How-To: Halt Holiday Food Pushers in Their Tracks

On December 17, 2018 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Shhh…what’s the sound? It’s the unmistakable “pop” of a Tupperware lid being cracked open in the office break room. Then there’s the rustling of waxed paper and the crinkling of foil wrappers. Next, the smell hits you. Something sweet and buttery is wafting through the air. A few notes of rich cocoa are mixed in as well, and wait, is that ground cloves? You brace yourself with a forced smile. You know who it is. You know EXACTLY who it is. Every year, like clockwork, they descend, with hints of flour in their hair and cheeks gleaming. You’re not sure if it’s a twinkle in their eyes, or if it’s better described as a steely glint. They are THE HOLIDAY FOOD PUSHERS.

They come without ribbons; they come without tags. They come bearing packages, boxes and bags…and Tupperware containers full of fat- and sugar-laden, highly processed holiday sweets. They seem to be bent on a mission to sabotage your health and fitness goals for the entire month of December. What’s a busy professional to do? You barely had time for the gym the rest of the year, so let’s face it, this month isn’t looking so good. Keeping tabs on your eating choices was your one hope of still wearing pants for the last week of the month.

Never fear! I shared my top tactical tips for halting holiday food pushers in their floury tracks on Facebook and my weekly Instagram video series. I’ll summarize it here for the literary types!

Continue reading “How-To: Halt Holiday Food Pushers in Their Tracks” →

How-To: Improve Your Nutrition (Without Changing Your Food Choices)

On October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Hello and welcome to Monday! As we kick off the week, I invite you to start where you are. I mean, honestly where else CAN you start? If you want to pursue a vegan, raw, macrobiotic, alkaline diet but you’ve currently got a three-a-day Twinkies & Diet Coke habit, then let’s honour THAT. Quite frankly, you HAVE to start where you are, because well, it’s where you are. I’m excited for the science of dual-locality, but until we get there, let’s ditch the thought of doing a complete dietary overhaul every Monday morning, only to find ourselves barely hanging on come Thursday (or Wednesday. Or even Monday night).

I’m a big advocate for going after “low-hanging fruit” – and not just in literal orchard-picking. In any endeavour, these are the “easy wins,” the “no brainers” – if there was something EASY you could do to move the dial just a little bit in your favour, wouldn’t you turn that dial? If you’re trying to make a million dollars today, would you turn down someone who offered you $5? Nonsense! Maybe that’s exactly how you’re going to get to $1 million! Two hundred thousand people are going to give you $5. Who are you to turn them down?

So, in that same spirit, I’ve come up with five easy ways to improve your nutrition without even touching on your food or portion choices. As per usual, I’ve made really EASY, digestible (pun totally intended) videos on my Instagram (and also put those same videos on Facebook to make it EXTRA easy for you). Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy, as my seven-year-old would say (another saying that’s made its way into my household with no clue as to its origin. Cute, but not mine. The saying, I mean. Not the kid. He’s cute and TOTALLY mine).

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Hallmarks of a Good Nutrition Coaching Program

On October 16, 2018 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As you may or may not know, I’ve decided to further invest in my education. On top of my certification as a CanFitPro Personal Training Specialist, I felt led to deepen my knowledge, understanding and teaching of nutrition. How many times have you heard, “Abs are made in the kitchen,” or, “Results are 80% nutrition”? To that end, I am pursuing my Level 1 Certification from Precision Nutrition. So far, everything I’m learning really resonates with me in terms of what I have experienced to be true about my own journey with nutrition. From a coaching perspective, I shared on my Instagram video series (and my videos on Facebook), five hallmarks of a good nutrition coaching program.

Regardless of the type of food (vegan, vegetarian, non-GMO, organic, processed, paleo, etc.) or approach (intermittent fasting, mini meals, etc.), the COACHING to support good nutrition should exhibit the five characteristics that follow.

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How-To: Make Healthful Meals FAST!

On June 4, 2018 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Nutritious Noshes (Snacks), Random, Uncategorized1 Comment

One of the top challenges I am asked about is how to prepare healthful meals QUICKLY (or fast, but that’s not grammatically sound and I am nothing if not a grammar nerd!). So, I thought I would write a post (and create an Instagram video series) on my top five tips for quick and easy meals that are also delicious AND good for you! This is a great addition (if I do say so myself) to my How-to series, including How-To Plan and Prepare Healthy Meals and How-To Make & Eat Healthy Snacks at Home and On the Go!

With no further ado, let’s go with my top five tips, and I’ve even tried to order them from least expensive (in terms of both money AND effort) to most expensive:

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Image source: http://mindovermunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/macros.jpg

How-To: Track Your Macros (IIFYM a.k.a. Flexible Dieting)

On July 11, 2015July 12, 2015 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Random, Resources, Workouts8 Comments

Alright. You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen the acronym a few too many times, and far too many photos in your Instagram feed of “bikini athletes” mowing their way through deep-dish pepperoni pizzas as part of their show prep. If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) is a food/nutrition/diet movement that looks at food at the macronutrient level: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. P-C-F, in IIFYM short-hand.

There is no more “clean” food vs. “junk” food or “good” food vs. “bad” food. No more cheat days or treat days; no “earning” carbs or calories. Food is food. From an apple to an anchovy, a chicken breast to a Cheez-It, all food is comprised of the same three basic macronutrients (yes, there are also micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals to consider, but we’ll worry about that later). The idea is that your body needs a certain personalized ratio of these three macronutrients for optimal performance and body composition. Figure this out and then make small changes over time and you can reap lasting changes in your strength, physique and body composition.

This post is NOT about figuring out YOUR personalized macronutrient ratios. There are other websites for that and frankly, that can actually be the easy part. The harder part (as always) is putting information into action and taking the steps to actually eat the desired/required macronutrients in the run of a day (or week). The only way to know whether you’re actually doing this is to TRACK WHAT YOU ARE EATING. Everything you’re eating and ALL of what you are eating. THAT is what this post is about.

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Image source: http://averyleighdesigns.com

How-To: Plan and Prepare Healthy Meals

On June 20, 2015June 13, 2015 By The Golden Graham GirlIn Fitness Foods (Meals), How-To, Random, Uncategorized11 Comments

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” This axiom is attributed variously to the late war-time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and to self-help guru Alan Lakein. Regardless of who said it, it rings true in many realms, not the least of which is health and wellness. “Fitness starts in the kitchen,” is another popular adage. I believe both of these statements to be patently true, especially when you are first starting out with healthy eating and active living.

Changing habits is hard work, and until better-for-you choices become reflexive and automatic (this comes with experience and practice), it can be nice to set yourself up for success in as many ways as possible. Planning and preparing for healthy meals (and snacks) can help to take the guesswork out of your day and help you to make good decisions when hunger pangs strike you at 2:43pm on your way past the vending machine (or even 2:43am when the middle-of-the-night-munchies strike). Being able to get healthy, family-friendly meals on the table in less time than it takes for the pizza delivery to arrive also means that you will be less likely to pick up the phone for takeout in the first place!

This post is dedicated to bringing you guidelines, tips, tricks and suggestions for healthy meal planning and preparation. This will support your wellness goals and hopefully save your sanity during the weekday dinner rush!

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How-To: The Science of Healthy Snacking

On June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 By The Golden Graham GirlIn How-To, Nutritious Noshes (Snacks), Random4 Comments

So, you want to learn MORE about healthy (or “healthful”) snacking? (For the grammar buffs, healthful snacks make healthy people). I’ve already given you lots of great healthy snack ideas, but just what is it that makes a particular snack choice “healthy” or at least “healthier than” other snack choices? A lot of this is unique to each of us as an individual and varies depending on time of day, previous and anticipated energy expenditures and type of exercise, etc., etc. But without writing a dissertation (although you might want to pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee because there is a lot of great reading ahead), here are some general guidelines and principles that can help you to plan, pick and prepare better-for-you snacks, even in a pinch!