Practicing gratitude is more than saying thank you–it’s a powerful habit that can improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. Regularly focusing on and appreciating positive areas of your life changes your perspective, reduces stress, and has life-changing effects on your body and mind. As a transformational nutrition coach, it’s one of my favorite practices to recommend. Literally nothing but good comes from practicing gratitude!

A gratitude practice is a science-backed method for improving your overall well-being. It shifts your focus to the positives in your life, which helps develop feelings of abundance and happiness. 

Here are some of the amazing benefits of gratitude.

Stress Reduction

Stress causes a fight-or-flight response in your parasympathetic nervous system that raises blood pressure, makes your heart beat faster, and triggers surges in cortisol and adrenaline. Expressing gratitude helps calm the nervous system and lowers blood pressure,...

The heat is still on—and while many are heading back to school, the weather beckons lighter fare in line with the weather in many places, especially here in Southern California. Whether you’re on a diet, working with a nutrition and mindset coach like me, or just starting to eat healthier, it’s the perfect time to opt for some low carb options when planning your meals. An easy way to do that is to feature greens as the star of your entrée to ensure your meal is packed with fiber, nutrients and antioxidants.

Some excellent choices are spinach, arugula, kale, collard greens, broccoli and even iceberg lettuce, which is often overlooked as it is not as nutrient-rich as other greens, yet has an impressive water content and provides an awesome foundation for salads and wraps.

Here are some quick and easy ways to wrap more greens into your summer nights.

Wrap Your Veggies

Toss your favorite foods into a spinach or iceberg foundation with some balsamic vinegar...

As a nutrition and mindset coach, many clients ask me which are the best exercises for optimizing diet efforts, especially this time of year. While eating right is your first priority, working out can significantly expedite your results and boost your overall health. The best types of physical activity combine both cardiovascular and resistance training, as you’ll burn calories while building the lean muscle you need to rev your metabolism and increase your daily burn.

Here are five different workouts that are excellent supplements to any diet or weight management program. NOTE: Make sure to check with your physician to make sure you are in good enough health before you begin any exercise program.

1. Bicycling 

Whether you take spin class or like to cycle outside, this sport is a serious calorie burner, torching up to 500 to 1000 calories per hour, depending on how fast you go. Cycling decreases fat levels and improves cardiovascular fitness, while increasing muscle...

When you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or are following a low carb diet, it’s important to consume lots of protein, preferably the lean kind. It’s essential for building lean muscle mass,  repairing muscles after exercise and promoting healthy digestion. The more lean muscle mass we build, the more calories we burn on a daily basis, as it is more metabolically active than fat. Lean muscle also improves bone density, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular health.

While lean chicken, pork, fish, and grass-fed beef are good mainstays, there are also plenty of other sources that are perfect for those following a low-carb, vegan or vegetarian diet. The following foods are packed with protein as well as some of the essential nutrients our bodies need to function properly.

1. Chia Seeds

One eight-ounce serving contains a whopping 4.4 grams of protein. More importantly, these tiny little seeds are considered a “complete protein,” which means...

Workout success isn't just about having the right trainer, going to the coolest gym or achieving minor gains–it’s about the right mindset. Our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes can make or break our fitness routine and seriously impact our overall health. As a transformational nutrition coach, I work with clients to shift their mindset to uplevel their diets and workouts, and achieve optimal results. 

Here are five mindset shifts that can help you change your approach to exercise and uplevel your workouts. 

1. Positive Attitude

Approach every workout with a positive attitude. Know that you’re doing healthy things for your body and promoting longevity. Strive to do a little more each day with the understanding that you’re getting better at exercising with each workout and taking steps towards a healthier life. Even on the days you don’t feel your best, show up with what you have with the understanding that you’re still making progress...

Some people seem to be able to maintain their ideal weight without any effort. While this may be possible for a few, we know that getting fit and healthy has to do with focusing on nutrition and lifestyle. When you work with a nutrition and mindset coach, they will help you develop and implement a healthy lifestyle so you can achieve your goals—but you can also adopt some of the behaviors and habits of those who never need to diet.

Read on for a list of some of the best habits to adopt into your new, healthier lifestyle.

1. Consciously Decide to Eat Nutrient-Rich Food

If you eat whole, fresh foods with an emphasis on lean protein and complex carbs, you will look and feel better—and it will be easier to lose weight. While it’s impossible to eat perfectly healthy every meal, you can make good decisions the majority of the time and aim for moderation when you do have the occasional indulgence. Once you start to see results, you'll be inspired to keep making positive...

Carbohydrates are always a hot topic in the nutrition world and a focus of trending diets. As a nutrition coach, I often have to explain the critical distinction between complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. While complex carbs–found in whole grains, vegetables, and legumes–are celebrated for their health benefits, simple carbs have a less favorable reputation. Understanding the problems simple carbs cause will help inform your dietary choices.

What Are Simple Carbs?

Simple carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars, are composed of one or two sugar molecules. Common sources include:

Glucose: Found in fruits and vegetables.

Fructose: Found in fruits and honey.

Sucrose: Common table sugar, found in many sweets and processed foods.

Lactose: Found in milk and dairy products.

These sugars are quickly digested and absorbed by the body, leading to rapid spikes in blood sugar levels. While they are naturally present in some healthy foods like fruits and vegetables,...

Summer is literally around the corner, and if you’re like many Americans, you probably want to drop a few pounds or more so that you can enjoy all the activities and events that go along with the season. Whether you’re working with a transformational nutrition and fitness coach or on your own, it helps to have an arsenal of tips for making the entire process easier and more effective.

Read on for five stellar tips to help you overcome any weight loss hurdles standing in your way.

1. Start With a High Protein Meal

Whether you’re intermittent fasting or love having breakfast, that first meal is the most important one of the day since you’re ending that overnight fast and jumpstarting your body. Rev that metabolic engine with a high protein meal, such as a veggie omelet or a healthy shake to repair your muscles and give you energy.

2. Cut Out Problematic Foods

If you’re not certain which foods may be slowing down your weight loss results, try cutting back...

High-fiber, low-carb foods are essential to your health, whether or not you’re on a low-carb diet like Keto. A diet rich in these foods boosts heart health while promoting weight loss and digestion. Substituting refined carb-rich foods with low-carb, high-fiber alternatives helps regulate blood sugar to reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer. 

Despite these incredible benefits, many individuals fall short of the recommended daily fiber intake, which ranges between 25 and 38 grams for adults. Unfortunately, many opt for diets filled with ultra-processed, refined carbs like sugary cereals, baked goods, candy, white bread, and sodas, which lead to weight gain and cardiovascular problems. 

Clients often tell me they struggle because they don’t know which foods to eat. As a nutrition and mindset coach, I love sharing ideas about which foods to integrate into your diet. Here’s a closer look at some excellent low-carb options.

1....

Sleep often takes a backseat in our fast-paced world. Whether we’re working late to meet deadlines, binge-watching shows, or going out with friends or family, many of us sacrifice sleep without fully realizing the consequences—like the impact it has on our weight. Sleep deprivation isn't just about feeling groggy the next day; it wreaks havoc on our waistlines.

Read on to understand why sleep is so important and how it affects our weight.

The Science

When we don’t get enough sleep, it throws off important hormones in our body like leptin and ghrelin. Ghrelin, aka the “hunger hormone,” stimulates our appetite and causes cravings. Studies show that lack of sleep elevates ghrelin levels, leading to increased hunger and overeating. Leptin is the hormone that signals our body that it’s full. When leptin levels are low, it grows harder for our bodies to know that we’ve eaten enough. This imbalance causes overeating and weight gain.

Sleep, Stress,...