Easy Food Swaps

Eating Healthy Isn't Hard....But Learning How Can Be!

This morning as I was getting my meals together, I was thinking about the food and ingredient swaps I've made for healthier choices. So I decided to share some with all of you!

Swap This for That

Ground Beef to Lean Ground Turkey
Sour Cream to 0% Greek Yogurt
Milk to Unsweetened Almond Milk
Sugar to Stevia
Butter to Coconut oil or Olive oil
Cheese to 2% Cheese or Low-Fat Cheese
French fries to oven baked sweet potato fries
Juice to water (juice is just empty calories!)
Potato chips to veggie chips/veggies straws
Jams/Jelly to 100% Fruit Spread or preserves
White rice to brown rice
Brown rice to Quinoa
Regular Pasta to Quinoa pasta


What are some of your favorite healthy food swaps!? Share them with me and I'll add them to this blog post!

I've also become very custom to reading food labels. For example in sauces, read the ingredients label! You'd be surprised how LONG some ingredients lists are for a tomato sauce... You want your food labels to be short and sweet.

Organic Pasta Sauce by Wild Oats vs Bertolli Food Label



8g of sugar difference in these sauces! That's a lot when it comes to sugar. No, you don't have to cut out sugar completely if you don't want to but it's always better to read labels and make your decision wisely. The ingredients on these two products are pretty similar, except the 'organic' brand has organic ingredients (well, duh Sarah)

ALWAYS Read the labels! A quick glance at a few products and you can make an education choice. If you need help reading labels or have any questions, let me know! It's okay to buy packaged foods, I get it, it's easier than making your own sauces and jams and yadda-yadda. But you CAN make smarter choices! Also, follow the serving sizes, makes a WHOLE world of difference. Measure EVERYTHING accurately every time and you'll lose unnecessary weight easy-peasy.

I hope you all have a GREAT Thursday and PLEASE comment or e-mail me your FAVORITE food swaps!


xoxo
Sarah 

My Blog Got a Face Lift

Happy Monday!

I decided to change up my lame-ass blog template to something a little more... 'Sarah'

My favorite color is pink.

I think you can tell by this wallpaper alone.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and stayed (somewhat) on track with your diet and exercise. Much too often when I say 'diet' people assume I'm talking about some crazy calorie deficit fad that has been on Dr Oz or Facebook. Nope, I'm just talking about the actual definition of diet:

diet1

[dahy-it] 

noun

1.

food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and it's effects on health.

That's it. Plain and simple. Don't get caught up in some fake success story or what you see on social media. See what works for you. That could mean clean eating or flexible dieting. Either way you'll still be getting a generous amount of nutrients that your body needs to function.

I've seen 'eat for your blood type' 'low-carb' blah blah blah blah. What happened to eating food and being happy? Stop trying to confuse yourself and just learn to read the back of food labels and buy fresh as much as possible. Meal prep, and ENJOY.

I swear it's easier than you think. Sundays are my dedicated days for meal prep and they hold me over for breakfasts/lunch and sometimes even third meal for the entire week. Sure, I'll have a cheat snack or meal, and make something different for dinner. But having that food available to eat makes me less likely to binge or buy food. Simple meal prep can go a long way, don't try to follow some crazy diet. Just eat.

- xoxo

Sarah 

Undereating

SOOOO many people 'undereat', in my opinion.

I'm not talking eating disorder level of under-eating, but eating less than your body needs to work properly level of under-eating. So many friends/clients/coworkers tell me that they had a piece of toast for breakfast and a piece of chicken for lunch.

WHAT. That's like 200 calories!

That is NOT enough for your body or brain to function properly. I'm not necessarily saying everyone should eat 2,000+ calories a day, but less than 1,500 a day is doing more harm than good. Instead of feeding your body nourishing foods to use a fuel, you're barely feeding your body enough to stay awake and get by. That is why fat is being stored in your body over time. Eating less and not losing weight does not surprise me AT ALL.

Sure, you need some sort of caloric deficit to lose weight, but not a 1,000 calorie deficit.Your body needs nutrient dense foods. Lean meats, whole grains, veggies, fruits, nuts, etc. Not a piece of bread. That is doing jack-shit for your body and your metabolism.

Your body is a MACHINE, you need to fuel it PROPERLY. Less booze, more protein. Less sugar, more fiber and minerals. Quit drinking BS shakes, detox juices, and powders and start eating wholesome FOOD. FOOD FOOD FOOD. If someone was writing a blog and telling me to eat more, I would, that's for sure.

Too many people buy into fad diets that aren't even that great for you. Best detox? Drink a gallon of water every damn day. Cut out the booze, eat lean meats paired with veggies, eat eggs and egg whites, cut out the sugar from your morning coffee, and BOOM, detoxed.

I give all my clients a sample grocery list with a shit ton of options for their proteins, fats, and carbs. Sure, I allow them a cheat meal here and there, but not every day! I want my clients to become educated on what they're eating, to read a food label, and to realize that a lot of packaged foods have so much crap in them that is unnecessary to consume.

I'm not perfect, I still enjoy wine, cupcakes, and my occasional donut. I know that now that it is pumpkin season, I'm screwed because I love myself a nice PSL. I also love apple cider donuts, BUT I use them as a treat and know that I'll still keep eating clean 80/20.

Enjoy yourself, but balance is key. 

And for Heaven's sakes, eat some damn food and stop depriving your body of the nutrients it very well needs.

- xoxo

Sarah

HUMP Day!

It's HUMP DAY!

SO I'm going to try something new, each week I will post 2 glute focused exercises for you to try. If you're interested in a complete glute program, email me!

Glute Bridges on Leg Extension Machine

3 sets of 10

Single-Leg Sit Squats

3 sets of 10

Try those out your next leg or glute day and let me know what you think! Both of those exercises focus on your gluteus medius (the middle of yo' ass)

It's important to work all the muscles in your glutes, and that means not just doing endless amounts of squats. #EducateYoself

I actually train legs twice a week, with a specific glute day because there are way too many muscles in your legs and booty to hit in one day. What does your current leg routine look like? Ready for a change up? Let me help you!

Lately, I've seen a lot of people who want to get started but don't know where the hell to start. Honestly, getting started and into the routine is probably the hardest part. Most people start and are OK for about a week or two, maybe even a month. After that, they fall off the face of the earth and don't go to the gym or workout ever again. THAT is where the motivation falls off the face of the earth. What fixes this?! Having a PLAN. Fail to plan, plan to fail. It's as simple as that.

To obtain a plan you need to be properly educated. A personal trainer or online coach can help you. Personal training and online coaching isn't all about the money. If you find the RIGHT trainer or coach, they will be more motivated to help you by your goals and own motivation than the money!

Speaking for myself, I can say that I love helping people get into the gym and get fit more than anything. I don't charge crazy rates for my programs and coaching and I provide help whenever my clients need it. But I hold my clients accountable too, they need to make sure they're checking in and staying on track. It's a two-way street and to make it work, both sides have to be committed and dedicated. I want to help you, I want to help you succeed. I want you to learn and become educated about yourself and your body. I want you to reach your goals and go beyond.

PLEASE feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. I can give you ideas of what I can do for you and pricing that would work to fit your budget!

- sarahpinks@yahoo.com -

- xoxo Sarah