The lazy days of summer are finally here. After the winter that we had here in Boston I couldn’t wait for summer.
I’m hoping that I’m a human battery and I can soak up all this warmth to carry me through the long New England winter.

I do grill year round, but I enjoy the fact that I can sit outside and have a nice glass of wine while I waiting for my dinner to c
ok. I also like there are a lot of fantastic options for food that aren’t cheaply or readily available other times of the year. Specifically bulk seasonal fruits and veggies are everywhere for a fraction of their off-season price and stores typically have all kinds of sales on grilling meats. If you’re looking for something fresh to try this summer, take a look at these quick meal ideas:

Turkey/Chicken Dogs/Burgers – Instead of the standby beef burger or dog instead opt for something leaner like ground turkey or chicken. Turkey and chicken are naturally leaner meats. You can add different spices and sauces to make them even more flavorful.

Grilled Fish – Fish is another lean option over fatty beef choices that also comes with a lot of great vitamins and the ever important Omega-3 fatty acids that you might normally have to take as a supplement if you’re not a big seafood eater. Try a store bought option, check a fresh fish market if you live near the water, or even catch your dinner yourself!

Fruit/Veggie Kebabs – Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, adding the option of freshly grilled fruit and vegetable kebabs is a great idea. You can put just about anything on them, leaving your options wide open for everything from traditional kebab choices like peppers, pineapple, and onions or try adding something a little different to the menu like apple slices. Of course you don’t have to go all vegetable, adding some chicken or beef chunks to your kebabs is always an option, but using seasonally cheap veggies is a great way to keep costs down and flavor up.

Summertime is the perfect time for trying something new and flavorful you might not think of other times of the year. Try some of these ideas at your next family get together or neighborhood barbecue!

Start your collection of recipes today! 

[Tweet “Be the reason everyone who steps outside is asking what that delicious smell is with these tasty #grilling ideas.”]

Summer is a great time to put your nose to the grindstone and get in a little extra exercise.  It’s so easy to get motivated to get out there in the beautiful summer weather and work hard on your body. There are a lot of different kinds of exercise you can only get in the summer simply because other seasons’ weather doesn’t really allow for it. Here are some good exercises that you can try during the warm summer months.

• Swimming – You get a double whammy. Not only are you staying cool, but you get a great workout. Even if you don’t live near a natural body of water, it shouldn’t be tough to find a gym with an exercise pool or even a public pool (though those might end up a little crowded) to get your swim time in.
• Running/Jogging – You will need to use your judgement when running in the summer. It may not be the best idea in the heat but bear with me. You won’t be running and exerting yourself during the hottest parts of the day, instead try starting your day with an early morning jog before things really heat up. It will help to wake you up and get you going in the morning where you might not normally be too active. If you’re not a morning person, enjoy a cool evening or afternoon breeze and jog while the sun is going down.
• Summer Sports –  Check your local paper or online resources to find groups getting together for football, soccer, baseball, or whatever else suits your interest and spend your summer having fun and getting a good workout on the side.
• Biking – Bicycling is a bit of a step up from jogging when it comes to your level of physical effort.  Here in Boston many commuters take to their bikes to get in a quick workout while saving the earth. Don’t have a bike” Check out Hubway, think Zipcar but for bikes. I’m not sure what they call it in other cities but Hubway is what we have here in Boston.

[Tweet “Tweet: The weather may be warm, but it’s still the perfect temperature for these warm weather #exercises”]

The majority of people like to write up a huge list of goals and while having lots of goals is great, it also makes it hard for you to achieve them all. Sometimes it is much easier to set goals based upon your life. There are certain areas that you can identify and set goals for. Experts actually recommend setting goals this way as it helps you balance out your life.
Some of the areas of your life that you want to take a look at include your:

• Career
• Family
• Finances
• Fitness & Health
• Personal relationships
• Education
• Recreation

All of these things combined can help you achieve a balanced and well rounded life. Not just for yourself but for your family as well.
It is best to start with one or two goals in different areas. Remember that creating a balanced life will take time, so don’t rush the progress, enjoy it. Look for the two top areas that you would like to improve first.  We know that I talk exclusively about health and fitness, but in my personal life I go through these categories each year and set priorities based on what I’m looking to achieve. The key is that I set 1-2 goals/area and some areas don’t get any goals. I use these categories as a guideline.  I open this up because yes health is important, but I want you to have a full life that is support by your health.

If you are still not sure where to start go through each of the points above and write down notes about how you feel.

• Education —  would improving a certain skill make you more money or secure you a promotion’
• Health — how would you feel if you woke up in the morning feeling energized and ready to face the day no matter what’
• Relationships — do you want to improve your marriage, get married or maybe start a family. Do you have a rift in your family that you want to mend.
• Money — we either want to avoid or stress about this topic. Do you need to save more’ Find another stream of revenue‘ Work less but make more’ Have enough for retirement.
• Recreation — when was the last time you enjoyed a vacation with your family or just had some good old fashioned fun with them’ My husband and I have made a new pact that at least once a month we are going to have a weekend of fun. Now that doesn’t mean money. It just means spending quality downtime together. 

Once you have written out your objectives for each area your next step is to prioritize them. You may want to stop feeling so sore and tired all day so working on fitness and health related goals would be extremely beneficial to you.
Prioritize those areas which hold the most meaning for you and set goals around them. Quite often some of these areas will overlap as well. You may find that working on a financial goal actually helps improve your education at the same time.
Once you start achieving your goals you will notice that your life improves. You will feel happier and so will those people around you. So make this year the time to really do something about changing one aspect of your life.

If fitness and health is a goal you want to prioritize. I’m starting my new Lean & Sexy group. Registration will open up this June!
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1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 large sweet onion, diced fine
1 medium green bell pepper, diced fine
4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes-green chili blend
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp chipotle pepper (optional or other pepper)

Put the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat; add the brown rice, onion, and bell pepper and saute, stirring, until the vegetables soften.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir, reduce heat to low, cover the skillet loosely, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Stir, taste, and season more if needed.
Serve hot or room temperature as a side dish with grilled meat, fish, or poultry, or as a light lunch.
You may add beans or shredded meat to this dish for a full meal in one skillet.

[Tweet “I struggled with acne well into my adult life. It wasn’t until I get my insides clear of the junk that I was able to have fewer breakouts and less reliant on makeup to hide behind.”] In fact most days I’m make up free! I get tons of compliments on my skin! Many natural health experts believe that having a regular detox period is not only great for the body and skin but also necessary. The idea is that toxins from everyday pollutants, the environment and foods we eat build up in our bodies. A regular detox means we can get rid of these toxins and keep our bodies running at their very best.

When it comes to fighting acne, detoxing may also help. The idea here is that when a body is full of toxins and unhealthy it will show in the skin ñ often in the form of acne.

With that in mind, detoxing may be just what you need to reveal healthy, beautiful skin. And detoxing doesn’t have to be difficult, so put away your maple syrup, lemon and cayenne pepper. A few simple dietary changes can make a difference.

Here are some of our easiest home detoxing tips for clear skin:

1. Give up alcohol. Drinking alcohol can dehydrate the body and skin which will make acne worse. It’s also hard on the liver. The liver in the organ that cleanses your system. A healthy liver means a healthy body and skin. By drinking less or giving it up altogether for a set period, you give your liver a chance to detox and perform at its best. In turn leading to a healthier body and skin.
2. Give up caffeine. Caffeine is dehydrating for the skin. It can also wreak havoc on your hormones. A healthy hormonal system will mean a healthy body and skin. Avoid caffeine so that your body has a chance to naturally regular its hormones to the level they should be. Now if you are someone who can’t give up the caffeine could you scale it back to 1 cup/day..
3. Do a daily cleanse. Cleanse For Life helps support youthful aging with powerful antioxidants, like bilberry, blueberry and raspberry, which help mitigate oxidative stress, prevent the formation of free radicals and neutralize existing free radicals. Gentle cleansing allows your vital organs (liver, colon, urinary tract, sweat glands, skin pores, lymphatic system, etc.) to perform their functions more efficiently. It supports the removal of impurities from all major organs to help improve cardiovascular, brain and immune health, as well as mental and physical performance.
4. Give up sugar. Sugar is awful for the body and skin. It reduces the amount of collagen in the skin which will lead to ageing skin. It can also create a severe insulin reaction in the body which can make breakouts worse. Giving up sugar for even a week can leave a visible difference in the skin. When I say sugars it’s primarily the processed sugars that we find ADDED to our foods. Sugars that naturally occurs in fruits are fine.
5. Drink water first thing in the morning. Drinking a cup of warm water in the morning will help gently wake up your system. This means that your body and organs can get a kick-start on the detoxing process. I like to add some lemon to this and great. If hot water doesn’t float your boat give green tea a try. This is the real stuff in a tea bag.
6. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise is a fantastic way to detox the body. Each time you exercise you will sweat out toxins which will in turn help unclog and clear your pores. Just make sure you wash your face and body with warm water after exercising to avoid the pores getting clogged up with the bacteria excreted. You should be washing your face each day and night to get the oils off. In addition find a great moisturizer with sun screen. I’ve been using this for the past year and love it!!

Fats are an essential part of proper nutrition. But as you know, eating too much fat can be unhealthy. And then there is the problem of flavor. Some fat-filled foods taste great, so they are hard to resist. New research tells us exactly why.

If you have a tough time cutting back on unhealthy fat and sugar, it may be because of the way your brain reacts to certain foods.

Study – Fatty Foods and Sugar as Addictive as Cocaine

A US government study suggests that processed foods and sweet, sugary drinks and snacks actually cause a reaction in your brain that creates addiction. Nora Volkow is the Director at the United States National Institute on Drug Abuse. She says that there is overwhelming data which has identified fatty foods and sweet treats as having the addictive power of cocaine, nicotine and other drugs.

This is relatively new knowledge, not really known by scientists in the 1990’s. Previously, if someone could not cut back on unhealthy fats, sugar and fast foods, that person was said to have a will power problem. They simply were not trying hard enough.

But now we know that is not always the case. If you crave doughnuts, sweet sodas and sugar-packed candy bars, it may be because your brain circuitry rewards you with an explosion of “feel good” hormones and chemicals when you eat them.

No fewer than 28 scientific studies on food addiction were published in substantial medical and health journals in 2011 alone. And they all revealed similar findings. This is not good news if you are trying to limit fat and sugar.

Because now that the food manufacturers have been alerted to this knowledge, sugar, fat and high fructose corn syrup are going to find their way into more and more foods.

And while fats and sugars have always been in the human diet, modern processing has created a new level of addiction. Extremely concentrated sugars, unhealthy fats and refined flour with little fiber or nutrients are being found in addictive fast foods and sweet treats. So what was already a problem in your brain has become even more difficult to combat.

Fortunately, [Tweet “you can rewire your brain to lessen the effects of sweet and fatty foods”]. Slowly begin to limit the amount of high-fat, high-sugar foods and snacks you eat. Just remember that you have a natural tendency to crave these types of foods, since your brain will reward you with pleasure.

And remind yourself that too eating much fat and sugar can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, stroke, heart attack, poor circulation and overweight. Cutting back is going to be difficult, but the health rewards are more than worthwhile.

Here’s also a great book that will help you understand this as well. Salt, Sugar and Fat. 

If you are looking to really understand hunger and hormones, join me for my webinar, click here to register 

Exercising with high intensity interval training can help you to get a great workout in little time. And if you choose the right exercises, you can get a total body workout that you only need to perform three times a week.

High intensity interval training requires that you exercise as intensely as you can for a short period time and that you follow that will active recovery for a period of time. By alternating these intense bursts with recovery you get a great cardio workout as well as strength training. This workout can be done at home or in a gym.

For this workout routine you’ll need some simple equipment including:

• dumbbells – no need to be very heavy
• box for box jumps – you can also use a stair if you don’t have one or can’t jump to knee height
• jump rope
• timer for intervals – a clock with a second hand will work

Warm Up. You should always begin your workout with a warm up. You can do jogging, jumping rope, jumping jacks or high needs for 5 minutes to allow your muscles and joints to be prepared for exercise.

Intervals. You’ll be performing 5 intervals that you’ll repeat for a total of three times to get a full body workout in just 30 minutes.

Interval 1 – Lunges. You’ll perform lunges as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of active recovery while jumping rope.

Interval 2 – Box Jumps. Perform box jumps as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of active recovery by jogging in place.

Interval 3 – Pushups. Perform pushups as fast as you can for 1 minute. Follow with 1 minute of jumping rope.

Interval 4 – Uppercuts. Uppercuts are performed by standing in a squat position while holding your dumbbells at your side. With your right hand punch up across your body to the left side. Repeat with the other hand. Follow 1 minute of this with 1 minute of jogging in place.

Interval 5 – Overhead Press. Stand in a quarter squat holding your dumbbells at your shoulder level. Press them both overhead. Then return to the starting position. Repeat this action for 1 minute and follow up with 1 minute of jumping rope.

Repeat this entire cycle 5 times.

Cool Down. After completing this cycle 5 times, cool down with light jogging, walking, or high knees for 3-5 minutes. Then perform a total body stretch routine to prevent injury and improve your flexibility

I was a fitness competitor for nine years. I’ll be the first person to admit that when I was competing my off-season consistency was a bit of a battle. I would finish doing a show in June and wouldn’t compete again until the following April. Here’s my dirty little secret.’ I didn’t stay consistent. It took me about two seasons of this consistent non-consistent merry-go-round for me to realize that if I was consistent with my off-season nutrition and workouts getting it together for a show wouldn’t be as hard. I mean my coach told me this year in and year out, maybe she knew something I didn’t know.

With consistency, anything is possible. In real estate, it’s about location, location, location.’ In fitness, it’s about consistency, consistency consistency.

I know firsthand that consistency is tough. In order to remain consistent, we need to change is our mindset.  Our healthy lifestyle is a CHOICE, not a death sentence. I give myself and my clients 2 FREE meals/week. Those are the meals that I savor and enjoy.’ It’s, when we have those little nibbles, bites, or do it just once that eventually catch up with us. I’m guilty of being a nibbler, which is much harder to manage. So.. how do you stay consistent’

1. Patience. Know that consistency will pay off. Many of you want week-by-week changes, sadly our bodies don’ agree.’ We need to trust the process and stay the course knowing that your best body is just waiting for its unveiling.
2. Taking Consistent Action. I feel you; I can be one of the biggest procrastinators on the block. The two things that make me take action with my fitness are making a plan and recipes. Each week I sit down and schedule my workouts in my calendar. I treat it like an appointment I can’t break. Now if something does come up, I go back to my calendar and reschedule the workout, but trust me it must be HUGE for me to give up a workout. As for my nutrition, I’m a big fan of recipes. On Saturday mornings while I’m drinking my coffee I pour through the internet — mainly Pinterest –  to find new clean recipes or recipes that I can make clean. Trust me I’m no Rachael Ray, but I do what I can.
3. Setting A Goal. Each month I set a goal. With each goal, I give myself a reward. Have you heard of a little place name Lululemon’ That place is my personal fitness reward center. When I have a goal, I’m like a machine especially with a reward like Lulu! Here are some examples of goals I set for myself in the past — By the end of a month I will get on a piece of cardio equipment no more than two times. I will try three new starches during this month. I will limit myself to two treat meals/week no nibbling. Make sense’ At the end of the day, we all want results. Want to know the secret to getting results’ Being consistent!’ Consistently following your nutrition and training program leads to amazing results.’ Feeling stuck or stalled” I am starting my 7 Days to Recharge Your Metabolism in March. During the program, you will have accountability and guidance to help you live the healthiest life possible. We are here to help we don’t want you to struggle or feel alone.

When the holiday season begins to roll around it gets much easier to lose sight of your goals and stop working towards your diet, but that’s a huge mistake! Generally from mid October to mid January “the holidays” are whopping 2-3 months and that’s a whole quarter of the year. If you’re working hard to lose weight the rest of the year it’s a huge waste to throw it all away for just a few months of snacks. So many people end up gaining weight during the holidays and then when January comes around they find themselves further behind than they were before. It doesn’t feel good to lose that progress and it’s not going to help you on your path to being healthier. I’m not saying you can’t let up, you should definitely enjoy the holidays and your favorite holiday treats, but don’t ruin all of your hard work by ignoring your weight loss goals through the holidays. Here are three of the most common holiday weight loss excuses to look for so you can watch to make sure you aren’t trying to use them.

1. “The holidays only come once a year. I might as well just enjoy myself.” I’ve already mentioned this. Yes, the holidays only come once a year but they do come every year. A better option would be, “Christmas only comes once a year.” Enjoy that Christmas feast. Eat your heart out. Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to binge for weeks (or months) on end. A holiday is a special occasion. THE holidays is a period of time.
2. “It’s too cold outside to exercise.” Trust me I’m right there with you. I hate the cold! So.. instead of my nice long walks around the Charles, I take all my workouts inside. Exercise is more important than ever during a time of year where you’re likely going to be overindulging more often. Try an indoor workout video, run up and down stairs, dance along to your favorite music. It doesn’t need to be structured, just get moving. Spend 30 minutes moving your body enough to get your heart pumping, that’s something you can do without even leaving the house. “It’s too cold” is just an excuse to get out of doing the healthy thing.
3. I can’t say no to the host/hostess/family member or they’ll be upset.” We all have those friends/relatives who are “food pushers” They ones who have their “signature” dish that you can’t not eat without hurting their feelings OR the ones who no matter how many times you say no think we’ll always keep presenting more and more food options. This can be tough. It’s not easy to turn someone down when they’re offering you kindness. Here’s the thing to remember though… Your obligation to yourself to stick to your goals and treat your body right is more important. Sure, some people might get a little upset when you turn away a second helping of their food or a certain dessert but they’ll get over it. Explain you’re watching your weight and you’ve already had your fill. If you’re really worried about making someone upset, ask for a smaller helping. For example if they’re offering pie simply say, “Hey, could you cut that in half’ I’m already pretty full.” Don’t throw away all of your hard work by falling victim to excuses. Your health and goals are important. You don’t want January to hit as you realize you’re further from your goal than you were at the start of October. It’s not a great feeling.

Weight loss success requires change. You’ll change your eating habits, you’ll change your level of activity, and if you really want to succeed you’ll also change the way you think. If you find yourself failing to lose weight over and over again, it’s possible you’re only focusing on the eating and activity portions.

Is your mindset sabotaging your weight loss efforts’ Here are some of the most common ways people are defeated by their own mindset.

1. They have an all or nothing attitude. If you think the only way to lose weight is to restrict what you eat to only the healthiest of foods and spend all of your time exercising, then boy are you wrong. It’s not about strict rules, it’s about balance. You can have tasty treats, but you need to balance them with healthy foods. You can still have pizza but rather than an entire pizza you have a piece of pizza with a lean protein and veggies and a side salad. By restricting yourself you’ll find yourself craving the foods you’re depriving yourself of and next thing you know you are on a bender. Studies have shown the deprivation leads to binging or a chronic obsession with food.
2. They put other people’s needs before their own. Do you ever feel like you’re so busy taking care of other people that you don’t have time to take care of yourself’ You want to eat right but you’re so busy doing things for other people you find yourself eating fast food and other comfort foods’ No matter how hectic your life is, it’s important to take time to take care of your body. Your health is important and it’s worth the time. The best part’ Once you take some time to put together healthier meals and get in some exercise you’ll find you have more energy than ever before to do what needs to get done.
3. Your mind is full of negativity. If you’ve failed at losing weight in the past it can be hard to stay positive. What makes this time different than last time’ Your mindset makes a difference though. If you think you’re going to fail, you’re going to fail. Take control of your inner monologue. Remind yourself that this time is going to be different because you want it and you want it bad. You’re going to make it happen. Push out negativity. Change can only happen when you’re positive it will happen. Do any of these sound like you’ If so it’s time to put an end to the self-destruction. It’s only when you develop a healthy mindset about weight loss that you can start to see real and lasting success!

At this end of this month I will be opening up my Lean and Sexy program. During this program we not only work on your body, but also work on changing your mindset. To get on the waiting list, and be the 1st to hear about it, click here.

Don’t be that girl sitting on the sidelines during Memorial Day BBQs. Each year I write ways to help you survive with out having the guilt feeling on Monday night, when you are unbuttoning your pants and rubbing your food belly! Come on, we’ve all done it!! LOL.

I want you to enjoy this weekend without feeling guilty!

Here a few past posts to help you glide into the weekend.

5 ingredient clean grilling recipes

You have control

10 ways to fight holiday weight gain

Looking for  a blueprint check out my summer sprint. You’ll receive 4 weeks of emails to help you glide through the summer with clean eating.