3 Ways to eat healthier this holiday season

The holidays are undoubtably a time of indulgence. With numerous holiday parties, cookies in the break room, and family gatherings you are bound to indulge and get a bit off track during the holiday season. Here are three ways you can stay on track and still enjoy the holidays!

I’m going to share 3 ways in which you can eat healthier this holiday season (and still have fun!)

1. 80/20 Rule - I preach about this all the time, but in case you need a reminder…if you eat perfect for YOU 80% of the time, you have 20% to play with. That 20% could include a glass of wine, a Christmas cookie, dark chocolate etc…but keep it at 20%.

2. Start your day with the Lean and Green Body® Triple Play - starting your morning with this simple yet effective routine will help you to make healthier choices as the day progresses.

3. Hydrate! Drink 80+ oz of water each day…and remember to have an extra glass for each caffeinated beverage or alcoholic beverage you have!

How to energize your day!

The Lean and Green Body® Triple Play is my favorite way to start my day!

If I happen to miss a day I feel sluggish, fatigued and even dirty inside…my body literally craves this routine every day.

If we haven’t worked together yet, I’m about to let you in on one of my trade secrets!

The Lean and Green Body® Triple Play is a sure fire way to energize your body, gently detox your system, and flood your body with nutrients all before you’ve even had your morning coffee.

My coveted Triple Play morning routine is something I typically share with my nutrition clients during our first or second appointments, and now you can experience all the benefits too!

The Lean and Green Body® Triple Play is my morning routine…let’s break it down!

First thing in the morning when you wake up…before you put anything else into your body, drink these three things…

First, 8 oz of room temperature water with the juice from 1/2 an organic lemon…sip it!

Then, add 1-2 TBSP of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar to 4-8 oz of water (you MUST add to water, do not drink ACV on it’s own)…drink it down!

Followed by, our morning greens! My current favorite greens are the Amazing Grass greens OR the Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw Greens. I love both of these brands and rotate between the two! You’ll mix one scoop of your greens with 8-10 oz of cold water (I like to use a blender bottle), shake and drink!

Then you can have your coffee and breakfast!

So why do I encourage you to drink all that first thing?!? Let me fill you in on what each drink does…

Each morning we wake up and our bodies are so dehydrated from working on overdrive while we sleep. The room temperature water with an organic lemon works to rehydrates your cells, energizes your body, and helps to pull out toxins. I get this question almost daily…and yes, it’s essential that the lemon is organic! An organic lemon is alkalizing, where a conventional lemon is acidic. This was literally mind blowing the first time I heard this...a food is either alkalizing or acidic based off what it does inside our body. A conventional lemon will never be alkalizing because of the pesticides and chemicals sprayed on it…sorry but you can’t wash them off. The lemon water responds almost like coffee to the body, and provides a boost of energy without the jittery feeling associated with caffeine.

Next up, the Apple Cider Vinegar comes in to helps neutralize the body. When we wake up our bodies are in an acidic state, the Apple Cider Vinegar helps to increase the pH of the body creating a more alkalizing state. We want to keep our bodies in an alkalizing state as much as we can since this is an undesirable place for cancer, disease and illness to thrive in. (Disease thrives in an acidic environment.) Apple Cider Vinegar, Bragg’s particularly, is one of my favorite holistic remedies because it performs hundreds of benefits to the body. Just be sure to mix it with water, and never drink it straight. (do not take ACV if you have an ulcer or symptoms of an ulcer)

We round up our Triple Play with our greens! Probably my favorite part of the Triple Play. Both of the green supplements I recommended above contain approximately 34 raw greens that have been juiced first and then dried. This is very important because we are not cows, and it can be very difficult for our bodies to digest and breakdown grass and some greens. Having the greens juiced first helps our bodies assimilate and utilize the greens and nutrients much easier. You will mix your greens with about 8-10 oz of cold water, I like to use my blender bottle and shake them up! When you drink your greens on an empty stomach (no food) you allow the nutrients to be absorbed and utilized by the body right away, it takes away to need to digest them and this giving your digestive system a break. Greens will help to boost your immune system, keep you energized, gentle detox the body, and help to balance blood sugar levels!

That’s it! It may seem like A LOT at first, but I promise it gets easier and eventually it just becomes part of your morning!

My husband and I love to travel and I always bring all 3 parts of this morning routine with me when we travel. To read more about my travel tips click HERE

As a Certified Holistic Nutritionist I am very cognizant of what I put into my body, what I give my family and what I recommend to my clients. I do extension research on all products I recommend, but I always recommend doing your own research to see what you feel comfortable with.

Gentle reminder…you should always consult your Naturopathic MD or Certified Nutritionist before adding a supplement to your routine. If you are pregnant or nursing I would recommend eliminating the ACV portion of the morning routine, and simply doing lemon water and greens!

To learn more or to work with me, please email me at jennifer@leanandgreenbody.com

Photo By Jontel Chere

Be a More Successful Morning Person

I have always been a morning person, and often start my day at 5:30a. I love being up before the city wakes up. I feel that this is my time, and sometimes to be honest it is the only “me time” I get during the day. I cherish this time. I wake up..and make sure to get up the first time my alarm goes off. Yes...there are the occasional days that I snooze...I am human. Typically, I get right out bed and head to the kitchen. I prep my Triple Play  and make a cup of tea. Right now I am loving Harney and Son’s Winter White Earl Grey. 

While I am drinking my tea I like to take a few moments and set my intention for the day.  What is it that I am looking to accomplish today? Where is my energy? What kind of mood am I in? I set an intention first thing in the morning so that when I get super busy and perhaps off track I can bring myself back to the intention. Back to a place of calm, and back to what is important today.

I then look at my schedule for the day...and if I have not done so already...I prioritize my day. I love color...so I use a variety of highlighters to signify what is of highest priority today and go down the list from there. What has to be done today...and what can wait until tomorrow or this weekend? 

Meal prep! I can not stress this enough. As a Mind Body Wellness Practitioner and Holistic Nutrition Specialist I can not stress how important it is to plan your meals and snacks the night before. Often times we get so busy in the morning that we forget or do not allot ourselves enough time to pack a healthy lunch or even grab a snack. I have fallen prey to this a few times myself because we get so focused on what we are doing in the moment, we forget to plan ahead. By packing your lunch and laying out snacks ahead of time you are saving yourself the stress of trying to find something healthy during the workday. 

The last thing I do before I leave my house in the morning is clean my space. I make sure my bed is made, and the dishes are put away. By taking five minutes to do this in the morning I save myself the stress of coming home to a dirty home. I thrive in a clean space. Small messes tend to turn into bigger messes and get pushed aside because no one wants to take time the handle the now big messes. By taking five minutes in the morning to do a quick check and clean up, I save myself the extra stress when I come home.

Here is a list of the 6 tools to make you a more successful morning person:

1. Do not hit the snooze button.

2. Tripe Play every day.

3. Set your intention.

4. Prioritize.

5. Meal and snack plan.

6. Clean your space.