It’s that time of the year when Mariah Carey is blasting over the radio, the night is lit up by festive lights and you get the intense feeling of excitement for seeing friends and family all in one place! Even though the holiday season is a festive time, I know that it can cause anxiety in regards to being able to stay on track with your health goals. Just because it is the holidays, does not mean that your health goals are doomed!

Proper pre-workout nutrition is one of the most important–and often overlooked–parts of an effective fitness regimen. By properly eating before a workout, you are providing your body with the energy and nutrients it needs in order to perform at its best leading to better results and quicker recovery. Yet, so many people overlook this step, focusing instead on post-workout shakes or recovery foods. If you want to truly maximize your workouts, your pre-workout snack could make all the difference.

Picture this…you’ve told yourself that you were going to start eating healthier, but within a week you are back to eating the chips and ice cream you swore you’d shun forever. You then end up chastising yourself and becoming frustrated that you don’t have the willpower to keep up with your new healthy eating habits. Sound familiar? The good news is that you are not alone with this situation.

Have you thought about using intermittent fasting to improve your weight loss? Intermittent fasting involves alternating between periods of severe and intentional energy restriction and periods of regular eating. It has been assumed that intermittent fasting can be an effective way to reduce body weight and improve body composition due to extending the period an individual’s body has to burn fat as opposed to calories that have just been eaten. Before adding this way of eating to your lifestyle, it’s important to know…

With February being American Heart Month I thought it would be perfect to discuss cardiovascular disease prevention through eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Cardiovascular disease is a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and is the number one killer in the United States. Your chances of having cardiovascular disease increase if you have any of the following:

With Netflix’s trending new documentary You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment you may have started taking more of an interest towards vegetarian and vegan diets (these diets are also known as plant-based). I am all for you trying a plant-based diet if it works in your lifestyle, however it’s important to understand these nutrition aspects of a plant-based diet before starting.

On average, only 9% of Americans succeed in keeping their New Year’s Resolution. With staggering statistics like these, how can you set yourself up for success in order to achieve your fitness, nutrition and health goals?

If you are trying to lose weight, you need to incorporate as many vegetables as possible into your daily eating. Not only do vegetables provide various vitamins and minerals for your body, they also provide a low calorie way to activate the stretch receptors in your stomach, signaling to the brain that you are full. But let’s be honest, at the beginning, vegetables can seem pretty bland and may even be the least favorite part of your meal.