Category: Health Blog

Italian Breakfast Panzanella

An Italian Inspired Delight 

I’m always on the lookout for new recipes that healthy and easy to make,  but I also find variety to be important. Usually I explore all types of cuisine to find what I’m looking for: American, Indian, Asian, Mexican, etc. Because I was raised in an Italian household, I often find myself gravitating towards Italian food, but I’ve been very conscious about expanding my horizons because I want my daughter to enjoy a wide variety of cuisines; however, this Italian girl just couldn’t resist this recipe for Italian Breakfast Panzanella. It is easy to make and packed with flavor. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Servings: 4-6  / Time: 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or sherry vinegar, more as desired
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup sliced red onion
  • Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
  • 10 small or 5 medium tomatoes, sliced into wedges
  • 16 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 3 peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 4 to 5 cups cubed crusty bread
  • 1 cup chopped fresh basil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup roster chickpeas (optional)
  • 1 to 2 fried eggs per person
  • sliced fresh basil

Cleanse Your Body

Toxins

Take a walk through a health food store or browse a healthy living website, and you’re bound to encounter one of the wellness industry’s favorite words: TOXINS.  You can buy drinks, face masks, supplements , and creams that promise to “detoxify” / “cleanse” your body or your skin. Quick-fix diets and cleanses are described as “detox” diets.
 
It all sounds appealing, but these products don’t tell you your body already comes pre-equipped with an exceptional detoxifying system that cleanses your body: your skin, kidneys, liver, lungs, and colon.
 

The Truth About Detoxes/Cleanses

Notice these products and diets don’t ever mention what type of toxins they are removing. This is because they CANNOT actually remove anything that’s poisonous, or toxic. In fact, your body is already performing this function. Our lungs exhale carbon dioxide, your liver and kidneys filter your blood, and your colon and large intestine get rid of whatever our body can’t use from the food we eat.
 
If you are ingesting toxins your body can’t handle (like tobacco smoke), no pill, diet, or cleanse will help. The next time you’re tempted by a detox diet or product, stop and remember this; the best thing you can do to help your body with its natural detoxifying system is exercise regularly, eat mostly whole unprocessed food, and prioritize sleep.
 
When in doubt … work out!
 
 

Need Help? 

Not sure where to go from here?  Contact us. Our team of highly experienced coaches will help you get on track. Hit a plateau? Our rockstar staff can help you push through that too. Regardless of where you are on your fitness journey, we want to see you happy and healthy so you can live the best life possible.
 
 
 

Helpful Resources

Check out our blog on our website, Transform’s Facebook page, and our Instagram account (@TransformFitCoach) you’ll find fit tips, recipes and more so you can reach your goals.

Fix How You Fuel Your Body

Breakfast, The Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? It lights our inner fire and gets us ready to tackle the day ahead. How many of us are currently on a weight-loss journey and the breakfast shown on the right in this picture is our regular? ⁠If it is, STOP.⁠ Fix how you fuel your body.

Special K & Other Like Items⠀

Eating cereals like Special K and being even HUNGRIER only a few hours later is super common. What happens is when you are eating for fat loss, your body has to be put in a caloric deficit BUT, not all calories are created equal. One bowl of special K cereal and milk usually has somewhere between 300-400 calories. ⁠The problem is Special K Cereal is mostly CARBS with little protein and fat and the sugar rush from the cereal will give you with a blood sugar spike.

Proper Fueling

Put Yourself First

Kicking off today’s blog with a quote, “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” —Paul Brandt.

What If?

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? How would it feel to love yourself unconditionally and break the chains of fear, regret, and self-sabotage? What story would be playing in your head NOW if you stopped eating unhealthy food, sitting around being inactive, and put everyone else first and started doing fueling your body with nutritious foods, working out, and placing your own health and happiness first instead? Think, what would breaking addiction do for you and your family How would it feel to have absolute clarity on goals, and how to get there? What if it meant put yourself first consistently?

The Importance of Me Time

Y2K on a 20 Year Delay?

Let’s face it, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic rocked the boat for most people in so many ways. Personally it turned my world upside down completely. We had to make the
tough decision to permanently close our group fitness studios since so many people weren’t/aren’t comfortable going back to gyms yet. Also, we moved in with my parents as we tried to salvage our business and take care of our toddler. For the record, I am eternally grateful to have wonderful, loving parents who were there to help us out. I wish everyone to be as fortunate as we were in that respect.

Between March to August we closed down and cleared out two fitness facilities, sold and moved out of our condo downtown, emptied our storage locker (a Herculean task in itself), and moved into a new home… all while we completely reinvented our fitness business to just one-on-one training and a remote coaching program. To say the least, it was mass chaos and super stressful. I know my husband and I aren’t the only ones who’ve been to hell and back within the last year. Though, I will say that as rough as that was, it forced me to learn and understand the importance of Me Time.

 

More Than Physical

Health is so much more is than just a physical thing. There are many forms of health: physical, social, emotional, mental spiritual, financial, etc. The pandemic has put a strain on most of those for so many people, myself included. It has caused a lot of burn out. How do we stop that from continuing to happen to ourselves? Well, one way is to make your health a priority. Spend a little time on and for yourself each and everyday.