Looking to Outsource Meal Prep? Here's My Go To Delivery Service: Factor

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Looking to Outsource Meal Prep? Here's My Go To Delivery Service: Factor

I'm not into cooking. "But JJ, you're a trainer! Don't you love spending hours in the kitchen meal-prepping and putting everything you eat into perfect little containers?” Sort of. I prepare (not cook!) my breakfasts, lunches and snacks for the work week in advance using many of the recipes I share in my free nutrition guide. But actually cooking? I'm just not into it. So Peter and I decided years ago to outsource our weekday dinners to a meal delivery service. After trying a few different ones we landed on Factor and have been loving it. 

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Should You Exercise When Sick?

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Should You Exercise When Sick?

It’s that time of year. Everyone around you is getting sick. Again. Those who were once your family, friends and colleagues are now the enemy. They’ve become evil germ zombies from The Last of Us come to destroy your gains and screw up your perfect rhythm of work and life. Like death and taxes, it happens to us all and despite your best efforts, you may get sick at some point. I am frequently asked whether working out will help or hurt when under the weather. So I’m sharing my go-to references for deciding.

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Why and How to Consider a Turmeric Supplement

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Why and How to Consider a Turmeric Supplement

I have noticed since hitting 40 my body is changing. My joints get more sore, recovery from tough workouts can take longer and sometimes my brain feels foggy. All normal stuff that smart people I trust have told me turmeric can help with. So a few years ago I did what any logical person would do. I crowd sourced it to social media and cross referenced it with scholarly research and got a bevy of solid advice here.

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Five of My Favorite Fitness Trackers for Optimizing Health, Performance and Diet

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Five of My Favorite Fitness Trackers for Optimizing Health, Performance and Diet

There are SO MANY trackers on the market. And the landscape changes all the time. The ones discussed in this post are the ones I have personally used at various stages of my fitness journey and have seen work for many of my clients. If you have something that is already working for you, GREAT! Don’t fix what ain’t broke. But if you are looking for something to aid you along in your wellness journey maybe one or some of these can help.

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Why Are People Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar?

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Why Are People Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar?

A few years ago a bodybuilder, a pastor and a pilates instructor each told me they drink apple cider vinegar every day. The bodybuilder said he kicks back a shot of it in the morning for its alkalizing properties to help offset the acidic effects of a high protein, low carb diet. The pastor dilutes 1tbs in 8oz of cold water and drinks it down to manage hunger and for weight loss. The pilates instructor sips on a diluted solution and swears by its ability to improve digestion and gut health. I did some poking around the Interwebs and asked some trusted experts for their thoughts on the stuff. Is this a case of placebo or is apple cider vinegar a true miracle elixir? Let’s explore.

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Healthy Holiday Treats from Allison Tibbs

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Healthy Holiday Treats from Allison Tibbs

I’ve been lucky to work with the incomparable Allison Tibbs for several years. She is an amazing coach and is hands down a nutrition guru. A while back we partnered to deliver a fantastic healthy holiday happy hour to our corporate client Nixon Peabody. The menu included Allison's super yummy almond butter stuffed dates, no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies, non-alcoholic mulled wine and my favorite entree of teriyaki soba and veggies with shrimp and salmon. Here’s a PDF with the recipes. Be sure to follow Allison on IG @allisontibbs.

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15 Goal Ideas to Inspire More Movement and Joy

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15 Goal Ideas to Inspire More Movement and Joy

Traditionally a lot of people jump into the holidays with two feet (see what I did there?!) and the best of intentions for crushing big fitness and wellness goals starting in the new year. Trainers like me used to see spikes in new gym memberships and requests for strict meal plans (instead of spikes in Coronavirus variants and virtual training sessions). If you are struggling with motivation and finding a goal that resonates with you, here are 15 some of my peeps are going for in the coming months that will influence their weekly fitness routines.

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Can Oatmeal Lower Your Cholesterol?

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Can Oatmeal Lower Your Cholesterol?

In January I had my cholesterol checked and it was high. Aren't genetics a blast?! I already eat pretty darn well, exercise, don't smoke or drink, avoid trans fats--all the things that are known to help. I want to avoid medicine if/however long I can and opted to talk to my doctor about nutrition as a path to lower it naturally. Literally all I've changed since January was replacing my old breakfast of Greek yogurt and fruit with homemade rolled oatmeal (not instant) and berries. Here’s what happened.

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Schedule Your JJFit RunFit Assessment Before Training for Your Next Event

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Schedule Your JJFit RunFit Assessment Before Training for Your Next Event

Whether you’re a veteran runner with several events under your belt or you’re considering your first 10k, half marathon or full marathon a comprehensive gate and mobility assessment might be a wise investment. I’ve prepared and trained dozens of clients for a variety of events from their first 5k to a Spartan and even an Iron Man and ultra marathon. If you’d like to improve your performance, manage existing injuries, reduce pain and prevent future injuries a run assessment can help.

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Four Ingredient "Veri Veri" Teriyaki Shrimp and Soba

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Four Ingredient "Veri Veri" Teriyaki Shrimp and Soba

This is one of my favorite meal prep treats and it's literally one of the easiest to make. My partner and I were getting tired of our old lunchtime standbys (chicken salad, meat loaf, salmon). Sometimes you just want something that tastes as good as Chinese takeout or ramen but that won't leave you feeling gross and bloated. Try this quick one that only has FOUR ingredients and can be prepped and stored for easy lunches or dinners during the week.

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Rainbow 10 Challenge: Add Some Colors to Your Day

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Rainbow 10 Challenge: Add Some Colors to Your Day

This post isn’t about how to eat to lose fat or gain muscle. Those are great goals and I help people do that all the time. You can get that for free in my guide. This is about something different. This post is about looking at your routine and what you’re eating in a day and making incremental, manageable improvements. The goal is simply to do something kind for your body not so you look better, but so you feel better physically and emotionally because you know you are doing something good for your health.

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Meal Prep Hack from Allison Tibbs: Mason Jar Salads

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Meal Prep Hack from Allison Tibbs: Mason Jar Salads

I'm obsessed with this simple yet genius meal prep hack from the incomparable Queen of Clean Eating Allison Tibbs. Using mason jars you can pick up on Amazon or any kitchen supply store you can prep delicious salads and grain bowls that will last for several days without getting your veggies soggy using Allison's layering technique. Seriously, letting these suckers "marinade" in your favorite dressing and ingredients makes these salads tastier AND healthier than any quick serve salad joint and are easy to throw together.  

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 6: Fish in a Pouch

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 6: Fish in a Pouch

While “Fish in a Pouch” may not sound delicious, this quick, clean and tasty dish is one of my favorites. This all in one meal takes less than 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook. It’s perfect to make for one person or a big dinner party and requires almost no clean up. You can use any starches, veggies and fish you like including cod, halibut or salmon and you can also toss in shrimp or scallops. Watch the latest episode of "Cooking with JJ" to learn how to make this amazing dish.

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Meal Prepping 101: The Easy Way to Start Eating Better

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Meal Prepping 101: The Easy Way to Start Eating Better

So you finally accepted that eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner makes it nearly impossible to reach your fitness and health goals? Bagels and breakfast burritos (or no breakfast at all), quick serve sandwiches and salads near the office and takeout (or worse happy hour treats) are killing your waistline and your wallet? Congrats. Acceptance is the first step. The next step is getting onboard with meal prepping and it doesn’t have to be as complicated or laborious as you think.

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 5: Simple Greek Salad with Seared Chicken

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 5: Simple Greek Salad with Seared Chicken

This is hands down one of my favorite salads. I'm a big fan of creamy Caesar dressings but they can be super fattening and rich. So this recipe gives the same flavor with a fraction of the calories and fat thanks to the combo of lemon juice, hummus and feta. The salad on it's own is great but if you want to make it a yummy, hot meal I'll show you how to saute chicken breast in coconut oil on your stove to top things off.

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 3: Vegetarian “Tuna Salad” Made From Chickpeas

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 3: Vegetarian “Tuna Salad” Made From Chickpeas

In the NewsUpNow.org kitchen with me this week is the beautiful and amazing Allison Tibbs who has perfected a scrumptious vegetarian "tuna salad" recipe made from chickpeas. Just in time for your Labor Day BBQ, this salad is great as a meal, snack or side and will satisfy even the most avid meat eater and tuna salad snob. It can also be modified to be vegan friendly and as we demonstrate is great for doing bicep curls in the kitchen. Proof! "Cooking" can be easy, fun and delicious.

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 2: Veggie Egg White Muffins

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"Cooking with JJ" Episode 2: Veggie Egg White Muffins

In this week’s episode of “Cooking with JJ” from NewsUpNOW, I’ll show you how to make super simple and yummy veggie and (optional) meat egg white muffins which are great for meal prepping for the week ahead. The amazing Allison Tibbs taught me how to make these years ago and they are a staple in my house! Check out the full episode and cook along with me!

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5 Supplements You Need to Know About

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5 Supplements You Need to Know About

While a well-balanced diet will often provide you with the nutrition you need for daily life and function, a fitness program or regular exercise might mean that you need a little more of a boost. I've put together a list of five supplements that you probably need to know about.

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Mindful Eating “Versus” Food Tracking

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Mindful Eating “Versus” Food Tracking

Recently a friend asked my thoughts about “mindful eating”. In short, Mindful eating is based on mindfulness, a Buddhist concept. It's a beautiful concept and one I strive to achieve. But it takes a very long time in today’s world. And for folks looking for a more basic, first step to change it can be overwhelming. In my experience success can more often be achieved by first tracking one’s food for a period of time to achieve the right calorie goals while making room for the foods you love.

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JJ’s Pumpkin Spice Apple Protein Muffins

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JJ’s Pumpkin Spice Apple Protein Muffins

I've been obsessed with my Blueberry Explosion Protein Muffins for years. I make them every Sunday and have two every day as a post workout treat. This week catastrophe happened. I ran out of blueberries and was too lazy to go to the store. But I did have apples so I figured, why not?! The result was a delicious reinvention of my favorite recipe. I call them JJ’s Basic B*tch Pumpkin Spice Apple Protein Muffins. Give them a shot and I hope you enjoy!

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