This month we’re zeroing in on RESULTS and what you need to do to make your goals a reality.
 
I have some SERIOUS motivation for you today.
 
It all starts with a time-tested truth that dates all the way back to the year 350 BC (give or take a year or two!).
 
That’s when the philosopher Aristotle delivered his famous quote …
 
“Through discipline comes freedom.”
 
It sounds like an oxymoron, right? Isn’t the idea of freedom to be FREE of discipline?
 
But it isn’t.
 
Example 1: if you want more free time, you have to be disciplined in the way you spend your time.
 
Example 2: If you want financial freedom, you have to be disciplined with how you handle your finances.
 
Basically, it’s about taking 100% ownership of your actions AND the results they bring you.
 
Your actions directly lead to your results – good, bad, and neutral!
 
When it comes to health and fitness goals, it’s your...

Sticking to new habits can be super hard! My brother, Ron Vereggen, is a habit coach. And he recently designed an app called The Habit Lab. I LOVE this new app! 

From The Habit Lab website, Ron says: Habits can be a struggle ...

8 out of 10 people fail at making the positive changes required to achieve their goals.

When we take these setbacks personally, we blame ourselves and end up feeling like a failure.

Which erodes our self-confidence and sabotages future attempts at positive change.

... but it doesn't need to be!

So true, isn't it? Both Ron and I want to help people stick to their goals as we know that is what will bring them the results they want.

It's a super easy to use app to help you stick to your habits. I have attached a video of Ron and I going through how the app works and how to use it. 

We are launching the use of this app with my three new programs I am offering:

• 12-week Walking and Running program - has everything you need to...

How would you describe your morning routine? Hectic, calm, nonexistent … ?
 
I’ve got a fun checklist for you that may help power-up your mornings and get your day off to a great start with an energy boost.
 
The best part is, you can do everything on this list and not add any extra time to your routine!
 
In fact, everything on this list will make your existing routine more enjoyable.
 
1 - Wait 30 minutes before scrolling your phone. This sends a strong message to your subconscious. It tells it YOU are in charge of your day, and not your phone or what’s happening in the news or on social media.
 
2 - Splash your face (or entire body, via a shower) with cold water. Cold water can boost your energy. It results in dilating your blood vessels, increasing your heart rate and circulation.
 
3 - Drink water BEFORE caffeine. Your body has been without hydration all night long. Being even a little dehydrated (just 1-2%!) can sap your...

If you are a regular to my classes and/or read my blog articles you know I stress the importance of building balance in the body. But what does that mean?

There is a constant play of stability and mobility within our bodies. Certain areas in our body function best when strong and stable (stability) and other areas of the body function best with more range of motion (mobility).

Pilates on the apparatus (reformer, stability chair, tower, barrel, plus TRX) lays the foundation to build a highly functional body by uniquely building that balance of stability and mobility. A functional body has even strength in the muscles combined with proper flexibility of the joints.

Pilates apparatus exercises develop healthy balanced force-couple muscle relationships. Force-couple refers to the dynamic play of two opposing muscle groups, especially around a joint.

For an example: say your quadriceps (front of thigh muscles) are super tight and strong, and yet your hamstrings (back of thigh muscles)...

I think I am the same as most where I want my breakfasts to be healthy, but needs to be quick. 

Two things I do that help:

• I do eat the same foods almost every morning, except Sundays where my husband or myself make flour-free waffles or pancakes. 
• I prep on the weekends

We need protein in the morning to help keep us full until lunch so my breakfast protein staple is ground chicken/turkey muffins (recipe here). We make these over the weekend and both my husband and I have one every morning. 

Using ground turkey: 172cal, 7.9g fat, 6.5g carb, 18.7g protein

Because I am super active throughout the day, I need a bit of carbs. I usually make a bowl of quick oatmeal. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup GF Quick Oats
• 1/8 cup raisins
• pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp nuts or seeds
• 1/2 cup hot water

I mix the above ingredients and I am good to go! No cooking required :)

Oatmeal bowl: 262cal, 6.5g fat, 48.1g carb, 6.5g protein

Sometimes, like this morning, we ran out of chicken/turkey...

Are you reading this article on either your phone, tablet, or laptop? Of course :)
 
It’s time to do a quick check … Is your head tilted down in order to see?
 
If you spend a lot of time in this position (and who doesn’t these days?!), you are actually at risk for developing something called “text neck”.
 
Text neck happens when you spend a lot of time with your head forward, shoulders rounded, and your back hunched. Many of us are in this position upwards of 4 to 5 hours a day!
 
When you spend a lot of time in that position the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the front of your neck/shoulders get compressed and tight – while the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the back of your neck and shoulders get long and overstretched.
 
You can see how over time, this can potentially cause imbalance, pain, and real problems.
 
Especially since for every inch your head juts forward, it puts an extra 10 lbs of pressure on your neck!
...

When it comes to your core muscles, one group often gets overlooked … until it gets to be a problem!
 
That’s because when we think of our core, we usually only think of the muscles that wrap around our body’s midsection.
 
But did you know that your pelvic floor muscles are the FOUNDATION for your core?
 
They work very hard to support you – as well as all the organs that are inside your pelvic region.
 
Keeping those muscles strong and fit can make a big difference in your body’s overall stability, as well as your digestive and reproductive organs. 
 
This doesn’t just apply to women, BTW – men also benefit from having strong pelvic floor muscles. Strong pelvic floor muscles help with urinary and bowel control as well as sexual function.
 
Many things can affect your pelvic floor muscles, including pregnancy, obesity, constipation, surgery and/or radiation, and just getting older.
 
3 Exercises For Your Pelvic...

An out-of-balance core can make it a LOT harder for you to reach your fitness and strength goals.
 
Before I get into the hows & whys, picture this:
 
Imagine your core is like a flexible piece of tubing made of dozens of intertwining muscles. One of its many jobs is to support your torso and protect your spine as it powers your arms and legs, keeping everything stable, balanced, and strong.
 
Now imagine you bend that tube and leave it for a few hours on a chair. Eventually, some parts of the tube get tighter and others get stretched out – resulting in weakness and imbalance.
 
Keep that scenario in mind! Because we’re going to talk about…
 
SQUATS
 
Imagine putting a barbell on the upper back of the tube that’s been sitting all day.
 
Because it’s out of balance, with the muscles in the front tighter than the back, all those intertwining muscles can’t provide as much assistance and stabilization as they normally would.
...

This recipe is from my 17-page 6-week Total Body Transformation Challenge recipe manual. It is an absolute favourite in my house full of picky teenagers. My husband and I wrap with the collard greens, but my teenagers use regular soft tortillas. I don't eat gluten, so I recommend the collard green, but if you wanted to use a tortilla too, I highly recommend Joseph's lower carb, high protein wraps. They are YUM!

Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 40 min

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 1 tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 3 Peppers (yellow, red, green) (sliced)
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper (de-seeded and sliced)
• 1 Yellow Onion (sliced)
• 16 oz. Chicken Breast (cut into strips)
• 1 tbsp. Avocado Oil
• 1/2 cup Cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours in water, drained)
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Lemon (juiced)
• 2 tbsp. Water (as needed)
• 4 cups Collard Greens (washed and stems removed)
• 2 Lime (cut into wedges)

Directions: Preheat oven to 425....

Having three teenagers brings home new colourful and strange slang language. My teens say "lit" a lot. Googling the word, historically it meant "drunk", but now means exciting or excellent. And I can honestly say Pilates is EXCITING and EXCELLENT, but definitely has nothing to do with drinking, lol. 

The article below is why Pilates is lit:

If you are a regular to my classes and/or read my blog articles you know I stress the importance of building balance in the body. But what does that mean?

There is a constant play of stability and mobility within our bodies. Certain areas in our body function best when strong and stable (stability) and other areas of the body function best with more range of motion (mobility).

Pilates on the apparatus (reformer, stability chair, barrel, plus TRX) lays the foundation to build a highly functional body by uniquely building that balance of stability and mobility. A functional body has even strength in the muscles combined with proper...