5 Day Diet FOCUS Plan

Hey Gang!  So I have a confession to make…

I have been eating TERRIBLY for the past 2 weeks.  Not sure what my problem is, but I’ve developed some nasty habits (i.e. adding croutons to salads, snacking on candy, too many simple carbs for breakfast – sticky buns anyone?)  The fact of the matter is, I’ve been making a lot of excuses to eat crappy food, and the excuses have got to stop – today!

While getting ready for my work week,  I put together this 5 day diet FOCUS plan.  Keep in mind that I’m a vegetarian, so if you are trying the plan for yourself and want to add some lean meat to one of the meals, by all means go for it!

Here’s my game plan for the next 5 days (Monday – Friday).  Each day, my diet will look like this:

  • Breakfast – 1 cup black coffee, 2 cups water, fresh fruit w/Greek yogurt OR w/ all natural peanut butter
  • Min morning snack – 1 serving of nuts or trail mix, 1 large glass of water
  • Lunch – Large veggie salad with oil/vinegar dressing (NO croutons, cheese, or meat), 1 large glass of water
  • Afternoon Snack – fresh fruit, 1-2 cups hot green tea
  • Dinner – 1 serving vegetarian protein (black beans, humus, lentils, etc.), 2 servings of veggies

I’ll be tweeting my progress all week, so follow me @GRITbyBrit – wish me luck and have wonderful week!

be stronger

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Brit’s 5 Favorite Fit Snacks

The past couple of weeks I’ve gotten pretty sloppy with my diet :/  I’ve done a good job keeping up with my workouts, but my food choices could be much healthier.  This weekend I took mental note of my favorite “fit snacks” and am going to try to have them handy so that it’s easier for me to make healthy choices .  Keep in mind that I’m a new vegetarian (officially 2 months strong) so everything I picked is “veggie friendly.”  Here’s my list – enjoy!

1. All Natural Peanut Butter & Banana.  Either “straight up” or in frozen sandwiches like below.

pb & banana

2. Carrots & Hummus – not very exciting, but always tasty and gets me my daily dose of Vitamin A!

carrots & humms

3. Kale Chips – be careful about getting flavored ones though.  While they are tasty, they sneak in extra calories that can pile up…

kale chips

4. Apples dipped in Greek Yogurt – I like to sprinkle a little cinnamon on top or maybe drizzle some honey if I really have a sweet tooth.

apples & greek yogurt

5. Almonds and prunes – This combo is high in fiber and will clean you out real good 😉

almonds & prunes

What’s in your top 5 favorite fit snacks?

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Show some SWAGGER

Brittani Rettig SwaggerAt a very young age, my parents taught me the importance of self-respect and self-confidence.  My mom always had me play the lead in church programs and made sure I was on the front row at my dance recitals.   Later when I started playing sports, my dad would preach that “competitions are just about confidence…if I worked hard and believed that I was better than my opponent, I was!

However as I matured, I started to believe that humility and self-confidence were mutually exclusive (i.e. if I wanted to be humble, that meant I needed to put the needs of others before my own or criticize myself).  However, the TRUTH is exactly the opposite!

As a new vegetarian, I started reading the book “Skinny B*itch” which takes a very no-nonsense approach to healthy living and healthy eating.  There’s a paragraph in the book, that really hammers home my beliefs about self-confidence and SWAGGER:

photo (28)

“Certainly your health and your body and you are more important than anything else in your life.  You are worthless to your colleagues, friends and family if you do not value yourself enough to take excellent care of you.  Yes, you have to put yourself before your friends, parents,  boyfriend, husband and even your children.  It won’t make you bad daughter or wife or mother; it will make you less resentful, more confident,  interesting,  beautiful, patient, tolerant, and fun person to be around.  Your bright shining light will give everyone around you permission and inspiration to shine more brightly.  Love yourself enough to do whatever it takes to be the best you you can be.”

For your Monday Motivation, I wanted to share this excerpt along with a graphic that my Aunt sent me (shout out to Aunt Cathy).  Think about these truths as you start your week.  I hope they encourage you as much as they encourage me! #GRIT

Lots of luv,

Brit 😉

GRIT by Brit Swagger

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Reshaping Nutrition Norms (and your BODY)!

Norm: “Something that is usual, typical, or standard. A standard or pattern, esp. of social behavior, that is typical or expected of a group.”

As a nutritionist and fitness enthusiast, I am always striving to embrace a healthy lifestyle and make nutritious choices (bring on the Brussels sprouts baby, woohoo!). But through my work with clients, general observations, and from my own personal experiences, I have come to appreciate the fact that putting a “healthy lifestyle” into everyday practice is no easy task. It is a true daily challenge (albeit, an ultimately rewarding one).

I believe a big reason why eating well and exercising regularly is such a struggle for many has to do with what I call unhealthy norms. Healthy lifestyle practices are often at odds with typical or “normal” behavior in American society.

For example, as you are reading this right now, think about how long you have been sitting. An hour? 2 hours? 4 hours? Maybe 8 hours? It is far from uncommon for modern day office workers to sit at their desks for long intervals. Yet, recent research suggests that repeatedly sitting for extended periods can actually cut years off your life!

Below I discuss 3 of what I believe are the unhealthiest prevailing norms, followed by a few alternative strategies to help your overcome them. I hope at the very least, this article inspires you to become more aware of how the norms of American society may be antithetical to your health, so that you can take measures to live a healthy lifestyle on your own terms!

1. Sitting Pretty

Sitting for 6+ hours per day is pretty typical for a modern day office worker. But as I mentioned above, sitting for extended periods has seriously negative long-term consequences. Our bodies were just not made to sit for long periods of time.

Alternatives: Try and sneak in movement and/or standing whenever you can. If you work in an office and email is the traditional mode of communication, walk to a colleague’s desk and deliver your message in person instead. Organize lunchtime walks with one or a few colleagues. Hit up the gym on your lunch break. Walk to do your errands after work instead of driving. Stand on the subway/train instead of sitting. Set an alarm to stand and move every hour. Finally, try using a pedometer to track your steps and help keep you motivated — like BRIT!

2. Must.Eat.Meat

What do you think of when you think “traditional American meal?” Probably something along the lines of a big hunk of meat, maybe with a small salad, side of potatoes and a starch. Research shows that the amount of meat Americans eat is actually quite excessive compared to the amount we actually need, and over-consumption of meat has been linked to obesity and cancer. It is also financially and environmentally more costly than vegetarian protein sources.

Alternatives: Meat can be a great source of complete protein, heme iron, and vitamin B12, and I am not knocking it by any means. What I am suggesting, is re-framing the concept of the traditional portion size by thinking of meat as a condiment, rather than the main attraction of the meal. You may also want to try experimenting with other sources of protein too: beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, low-fat dairy products, whole grains. I personally think they are just as tasty!

3. Office Temptations

Sweets are often included at meetings, and/or used as a symbol of celebration — between colleagues’ birthdays, holidays, an accomplishment in the department, etc. There is always an occasion to indulge in the workplace. But research suggests that the more occasions we have to eat, the more prone we are to taking in calories in excess of our needs.

Alternatives: Be reasonable. While you don’t necessarily want to be “that person” or skip an office celebration, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your health by putting junk into your body at every opportunity. Be secure in your choices (or refusals), and try and learn to become comfortable with saying “no, thank you.” Or, if you feel it would be impolite to refuse what is being offered, take the cupcake, and say you are going to save it for later because you are not hungry now. If you don’t want it later, chuck it. This is not wasteful in my mind – the junk is better off going into the garbage can than wreaking havoc in your body!

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