Sarah's Roasted Veggies and Greek Yogurt Salad

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Sarah's Roasted Veggies and Greek Yogurt Salad

My amazing client Sarah is a vegetarian meal prep all star! And she gets extra credit for this roasted eggplant, beet and cauliflower salad with spinach, almonds and Greek yogurt. The veggies can be roasted in a big batch and kept for the week and the salad can easily be tossed together at the office. This is a great way to get in your fibrous veggies and also a great way for vegetarians (and carnivores!) to get in ample protein (thanks to the Greek yogurt) and healthy fats (thanks to the almonds and olive oil). This recipe yields enough for 5-7 servings. Om nom nom! 

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Macros for Dummies: What You Need to Know About These Essential Nutrients

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Macros for Dummies: What You Need to Know About These Essential Nutrients

It seems like all people talk about these days are their macros, as they use some app on their smartphone to calculate whether they can eat the bun that came with their burger. But what exactly does it mean when they say something does or doesn’t fit into their macros? And how do you know what your allotted macros should be? And why is this suddenly so trendy? Read my interview in Oxygen Magazine for a break down behind the mystery of macros and determine if this advanced nutritional strategy is right for you (because it might not be). 

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Banana Blueberry Explosion Protein Muffins

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Banana Blueberry Explosion Protein Muffins

These little bastards are LITERALLY my favorite food right now and are a variation on my protein pancake recipe. Pancakes are delicious and are great for a special occasion, but for a normal week they are a lot of work. So my genius partner turned them into muffins and makes them every Sunday so we have them for the week ahead. They are great pre/post workout snacks or perfect at night as a healthy dessert treat. 

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Quick and Easy Egg White Muffins with Veggies and Cheese

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Quick and Easy Egg White Muffins with Veggies and Cheese

These mini egg white muffins are the perfect meal prep hack if you struggle getting a healthy, balanced breakfast with ample protein. A quick and easy batch of these will keep all week in your fridge and are easy to take with you to the gym or office. Pop them in a microwave for 30 seconds or just eat them cold like I do. Each muffin only has about 70 calories with only 2 carbs and 10g of protein. These include peppers, spinach, mushrooms and chives but you can add any veggies or meat (grilled chicken, turkey bacon) you like. Om nom nom.

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Five Tips to Help You Get Summer Ready

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Five Tips to Help You Get Summer Ready

Thanks to the style gurus at Visual Therapy for sharing my 5 practical tips to getting summer bod ready. Check out the story here. #summeriscoming

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Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

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Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

It's no secret that I don't enjoy spending hours in the kitchen on fancy, complicated meals. Whenever possible I opt for simple, fast and easy. However, every once and a while I like to go the extra mile and do something a little special, particularly if I'm cooking dinner for others. So if you're looking to up your ground turkey game beyond meatloaf and turkey sauté check out these amazing (and still healthy!) turkey and quinoa stuffed peppers topped with mozzarella and basil. 

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Three Better Breakfasts: Protein Pancakes, Mini Egg Muffins and the Perfect Smoothie

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Three Better Breakfasts: Protein Pancakes, Mini Egg Muffins and the Perfect Smoothie

Breakfast tends to be an afterthought for a lot of folks and heavy on carbs and low in protein and healthy fats. Bagels, bars and greasy breakfast burritos are convenient, but they aren't necessarily what you need to fuel your day and reach your fitness goals. So consider doing a couple of minutes of meal prep and set yourself up for success with three of my favorite healthy, tasty and easy breakfasts that you can eat at home or take on the go.

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Ditch the Diets and Focus on These 12 Strategies for Better Nutrition

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Ditch the Diets and Focus on These 12 Strategies for Better Nutrition

Whether your goal is to lose body fat, increase muscle mass or just to be healthy and live a long life, ditch the crazy crash diets and focus on longterm behaviors that deliver sustainable results. Easier said than done, I know. The supplement, publishing and media industries have flooded our brains with so much conflicting information and misleading imagery that most of us have no clue what to believe or where to begin. Enter these 12 fundamental strategies for eating healthier and making better choices from Equinox. 

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What Fitness Pros Eat After a Tough Workout

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What Fitness Pros Eat After a Tough Workout

Think fitness trainers only eat grilled chicken and steamed broccoli? The truth might surprise you. Fit pros subscribe to lots of different healthy eating philosophies. But above all, trainers are focused on results. The one thing they all agree on? When it comes to weight loss and muscle gain, working out is only part of the equation. If you want to shape up, you need to step in the kitchen. Straight from the gym, studio, and blacktop, here’s what five top trainers like to eat after a tough sweat session. Thanks to my friends at the Fitbit Blog for including me in this great piece.

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Video: Biceps, Protein and Getting Lean

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Video: Biceps, Protein and Getting Lean

Check out JJ's interview with Cecilia Philips on News Up Now's newest show, Attitude. Attitude covers health, exercise, fashion, music, events, food and more. In this segment I talk about how to get the most out of your workouts, what to do for bigger biceps and how to get more protein. Check it out!

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Somato-what? What You Should Know About Your Genetic Body Type

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Somato-what? What You Should Know About Your Genetic Body Type

Science classifies our bodies into genetic categories. Naturally we fall into one (or a combination) of these three “somatotypes” based on body structure, muscle and fat storage and distribution: Ectomorph, Endomorph and Mesomorph: Knowing your natural body type can help guide you toward the right exercise and nutrition plan to help you naturally become more healthy and fit. 

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Simple, Delicious Salmon in 20 Minutes

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Simple, Delicious Salmon in 20 Minutes

When people see me pull homemade salmon with jasmine rice and stir fried vegetables out of my lululemon lunch bag in the middle of a busy weekday they think 1. I must be fancy AF and/or 2. I must spend hours each night meal-prepping instead of binge watching Broad City. Neither are true. Here is a simple and awesome game plan for prepping up to four salmon fillets in about 20 minutes and bonus, it won't stink up your house. 

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Try This Instead of That... "Homemade" Burrito Bowl vs. Chipotle

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Try This Instead of That... "Homemade" Burrito Bowl vs. Chipotle

I didn't set out to dis Chipotle with this post. I have tons of family, friends and clients who love Chipotle. And yes, I agree, it's a "better" option than a lot of fast food places. But the calories, carbs, saturated fat and sodium can quickly add up at Chipotle even when you customize your own burrito bowl there. So I offer you this "homemade" alternative which takes less than five minutes from start to finish to throw together (including the two minutes it takes to microwave) and has fewer calories, less fat, fewer carbs, WAY less sodium and more protein than Chipotle.

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Oops!... She Did It Again. Five Quick, Delicious and Healthy Recipes from Allison Tibbs

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Oops!... She Did It Again. Five Quick, Delicious and Healthy Recipes from Allison Tibbs

Allison Tibbs of Allison Tibbs Fitness is my meal time motivational guru goddess. No one can inspire by example better than Allison. She is Madonna, Oprah and the Dalai Lama all rolled up into one fierce package. If you don't follow her on Facebook and Instagram you should. She shares free recipes, videos and resources many of which have inspired some of my favorite meal prep staples and healthy treats. I'm so thankful that she once again is sharing a handful of recipes from her most recent 5 Day Clean Eating Challenge with us here.

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Get Your "Sugar Fix" With These 22 Smarter Dessert Picks

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Get Your "Sugar Fix" With These 22 Smarter Dessert Picks

It's no secret in my house and among my friends and clients that I have a sweet tooth. I love dessert. I don't drink. I don't do drugs. I eat clean and track my macros. I do cardio. I lift heavy. And mother f*cker at the end of the day I want a cookie. And sometimes I go for it hard. When we work hard sometimes we deserve to play hard. But when we're really trying to watch our sugar intake, keep calories down and steer clear of processed foods, there are healthy alternatives to the SUGAR MONSTER that can scratch your itch without ruining your gains (or loses). Here are 22 of my favorite healthy/healthier treats.

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30 Minute Meal: Low Carb Chicken Caprese with Zucchini Noodles

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30 Minute Meal: Low Carb Chicken Caprese with Zucchini Noodles

One of my awesome clients Jason gave me a challenge last week. He wanted a quick (30 minutes or less) meal he can make at home with ingredients he can pick up at practically any grocery store (not just Whole Foods) that will fit his macros. Normally he meal preps and is open to the occasional food delivery service but wanted something he could make himself and hopefully have left overs. Challenge accepted! Try this low carb, high protein and healthy fat spin on a comfort food favorite.

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Supplement Spotlight: Can CLAs Help Me Lose Fat?

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Supplement Spotlight: Can CLAs Help Me Lose Fat?

I get asked by a lot of clients, friends and family what supplements they should take. First of all, I never tell anyone what supplements they should take. I’m a personal trainer, not a nutritionist, dietician or doctor. I don’t “prescribe” supplements or specific diet plans. I do, however, provide information and experience that can help them make the best choices for themselves. Previously I covered BCAAs for recovery. Today we’ll look at CLAs and whether they can help shed unwanted body fat.

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Living That Macro Life: A Guide to Macronutrient Splits and Other Nutritional Strategies That Work

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Living That Macro Life: A Guide to Macronutrient Splits and Other Nutritional Strategies That Work

Eating to your macros can be overwhelming and unless you’re extremely committed to losing a specific amount of body fat or gaining a specific amount of muscle in a specific amount of time it can be overkill. For the novice this can lead to serious frustration, yo-yo results and loss of resolve to continue with a health and fitness regime. Typically those who successfully eat according to their macro split pre-plan their daily menus, food prep like champs or use a meal delivery service, and track everything they eat using a mobile tool like MyFitnessPal. It’s not for the faint of heart. Why do people do this? Results.

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What Does Your #2 Say About You? Yeah, We’re Talking About It.

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What Does Your #2 Say About You? Yeah, We’re Talking About It.

A huge part of being fit and healthy comes from nutrition. Duh. Frequently I recommend clients get more protein, water and almost always recommend incorporating more organic vegetables and fruits. Eat the rainbow. Inevitably, for those who follow my sage and expensive advice, comes the push back. I ask how the changes are going and they say something like “Well… It’s going okay, but, uhm… I kind of… Well…” And at this point they get a shy, embarrassed look. I quickly jump in with “You’re using the bathroom more and noticing you have more gas?” Most remain a little embarrassed but that fades as they begin to ask me a barrage of questions about pooping. So here are a few common questions and answers.

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If This Busy Law Firm Partner and Husband Learned to Make His Health a Priority, You Can Too!

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If This Busy Law Firm Partner and Husband Learned to Make His Health a Priority, You Can Too!

I started training Tom Gaynor about two years ago. And looking back at how far he’s come I can barely remember some of the challenges we used to face. If I squint my eyes and think back really hard I can vaguely remember a heavier guy with an inhaler in one hand and a Blackberry in another frequently complaining about how his back hurt. Now when I see Tom, I see a man with a body that moves pain free, is 25# lighter and has greater capacity lungs. And he still gets to enjoy the occasional steak frites and martini. Tom is the kind of client that inspires me with his genuine commitment to his health while still successfully managing a thriving law practice, clamoring clients and a family (husband - who I now also train - and dog, Louis) in Marin. If you don’t think small changes over time can really add up, then you have to read his story below.

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