My Top 5 Foolproof Nutrition Tips

I get asked ALL.THE.TIME. what my top tips for nutrition are, or if people should subscribe to a specific type of diet that is making headlines. Generally people want something flashy and sexy. Something that will shrink their waist or grow their muscles in a matter of minutes/days, and I generally leave them feeling disappointed. Not my favorite thing to do.
Nutrition is a lifelong pursuit. You can't undo years of sedentary donut eating in one weekend. You can, begin to make big and healthy changes in your life right now!
So, without further ado, here they are. My top 5 fool proof nutrition tips.

1: Eat Slowly
Yup, that's my #1 eat slowly. This is important because it takes a while for our brains to get the message from our stomach that we are full. Eating slowly gives our body more time to get the message. This is also a great way to help prevent you from eating the entire bag of chips, or box of cookies, or whatever.
Here are some tricks to help make it happen.

• Put your fork down between bites
• Chew slowly and completely before swallowing
• Drink water or tea with your meal
• Turn off technology while eating (no joke)

2: Stop at 80% full

Remember when I said it takes our brain a long time to get the signal that we are full? It was like 30 seconds ago... So, stopping at 80% full helps us to not feel heavy and bloated after a meal/feeding. It also helps us to save some of our favorite food as leftovers later on. This one can get tricky for those who have "number" brains, or are very literal. You've got to experiment. Practice tuning into your boy while you're eating, and think "hmmm, does my stomach feel like it has enough food in it? Am I at 80(ish) percent?" Then stop eating. If you feel hungry in an hour you probably stopped too soon. If you feel bloated and yucky, you probably did not stop soon enough. Experiment on your body. Science is rad. Be a part of it. 

• Start by eating slowly (see above)
• Tune in to your body
• Experiment on yourself..Science
• Take notes
• Learn to love leftovers (most of our plates and serving sizes are waaaay too big) 

3:Drink Plenty of Water

Water is my jam. Like I don't use it on sandwiches or anything, but I do use it for everything else. When we are hydrated we feel and look better. It helps to keep our skin bright and wrinkle free (ish) it keeps our hair shiny and nails strong. It also keeps our minds clear, so we can do our best work, and our joints lubed up so that we can move our best. Water is the key to all life (along with the sun) and our bodies need a constant resupply. If you lie in a dry area you probably need more. If you sweat a lot same thing. Most adults need about two liters a day. You can do this! 

• Cary a water bottle around with you
• Eat lots of fresh veggies and fruits (they are loaded with water)
• Try infused water or tea (no sugar added)
• Give up on (at least limit) calorie dense drinks (soda, flavored coffee and tea, alcohol) 

4: Add Lean Protein and Veggies or Fruits to Each Feeding

Need a snack? Grab some string cheese and carrot sticks. Hate that option, that's okay, find something you love. Make sure it's loaded with, you guessed it, lean protein and veggies, or fruits. If you need to watch your blood sugar stay with veggies, if you hate veggies try some fruit-or learn to love veggies. Seriously, there are 100s out there, there has to one you'll tolerate. 

• Learn to prep your food-the best way to ensure you always get what you want/need
• Find easy to snack on foods like baby carrots, string cheese, mini bell peppers, etc.
• Get in the habit, this means just do it, and keep doing it
• Get friends/family involved. If you live with someone it's easies to eat heathy together!

5: Be Mindful

Being aware of what/when/how much you are eating is key. Accepting the consequences for your food choices is the second part. There are not inherently good or bad foods. Some people are extremely allergic to raw vegetables, some people react negatively to dairy. Sometimes it's good for the soul to celebrate a dear friend's birthday by enjoying a slice of cake together. Again, pay attention.  Become aware of how you feel before/after feedings and take responsibility for it. If you feel like crap after a certain type of food, think about that before you eat it next time. Is this food "worth" that feeling. If so, dig in. If not, don't. Easy, right. It's actually pretty tough. I'm asking you to be present throughout your day. 

• Take notes on how you feel before/after feedings
• Slow down before/during/after eating (again, I know) 
• Check in with your body-How are you feeling?
• Check in with your mind/heart-How are you feeling? 

There you have it. These are my top 5 tips. The sexiest and flashiest nutrition tips of life. 

Remember to sign up for the Healthy Holidays Challenge today! 

Yogic wisdom found Here 

One of My All Time Favorite Recipes: Salsa Chicken

I LOVE this dish. It's stupid easy to make, and is always a hit. I sort of discovered it on accident one day when I had to feed a billion people.

Here it is: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

What you need:
6-8 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1: 24 oz jar of your favorite salsa
1-2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed

Put all ingredients into your slow cooker be sure to cover as much chicken as you can with the salsa. Cook on high for 8 hours. Shred the chicken and serve hot over riced cauliflower or on your favorite whole grain tortilla. Enjoy!

Yogic wisdom found Here 

ProCoach with Alaina Wood Fitness-Powered by Precision Nutrition

I have incredibly exciting news! This is especially poignant for those of you who live a little further away. I am now offering online nutrition coaching and training! This is unlike anything you have ever experienced before. This highly personalized, year-long program will guide you to not only reach, but to also maintain your health and wellness goals!

This is not another yo-yo diet. This is not a get fit quick scheme. This is a total lifestyle and life-long makeover.

As if this was not enough, this program has been proven to work by three peer-reviewed studies.

Get and stay healthy so that you can do more of what you love!

As a Precision Nutrition certified coach I have the training and knowledge to guide you through this incredible journey of discovering the best possible version of yourself.

More questions? What this inspirational video!

Below is a list of program options for you!

Here is the nitty gritty for all you lovers of details.

ProCoach is powered by Precision Nutrition. As a certified PN coach, I will be your guide/coach on this year-long journey. Each day you will receive an email from ProCoach. This email will inform you of your habit (each habit lasts two weeks) and give you lots of details as to why this habit is so important. You will have an opportunity each day to check in and mark if you have completed your habit or not. Talk about accountability!
If you choose the program that includes workouts you will also receive a daily workout. This workout will come in three options: Full Workout, Short Workout (for when you're short on time,) and At-Home Workout. The program is designed to match your specific needs, and the workouts are tailored to you. No matter what your goals are, Alaina Wood Fitness and ProCoach can help!

All About Food Prep

One of the best ways to ensure you eat healthy throughout the day is to plan ahead. From grocery
shopping to cooking protein in advance there are many little tricks that might just save you from that
“emergency” fast food run.

It can seem overwhelming to think about prepping snacks and meals for an entire week, but once we
break it down for you, you’ll see that putting in a little extra work in the beginning will actually save you time (and unhealthy food choices) in the long run.

So, where do we start?

In the home, of course! Sit down and plan out what you’d like to eat in the next week, you can be very specific, or make general meal plans. Once you have a basic menu prepared make a shopping list. Let’s keep our shopping lists very specific to avoid too much temptation once in the grocery store. Head out to the store of your choice, it might be good to make specific lists for specific stores if you’re going to multiple locations.

Once you hit the store(s) stick to the list, don’t be tempted by a sale on your favorite ice cream (don’t
even go down the ice cream isle) or get distracted by the baked goods. Stick to the list, that’s why we
made it. Once you’re home with your grocery loot, store it appropriately until you are ready for your
actual food prep ritual.

The next step is to choose how and when you are going to do your food prep; my personal favorite is
Food Prep Sunday. Sundays are often more relaxed and we are looking forward and planning for the
week ahead, if Tuesday works better for you do it on Tuesday.

Set aside 2-3 hours and get ready to clean, chop, cook, and package your food for the week. I like to
make a large helping of at least one meal item so that I can take it to work for lunches (my current
favorite is spaghetti squash in meat/spaghetti sauce) It’s also helpful to have snack, or single serving
sized bags of an easy to eat fruit or vegetables, I keep about 20 sandwich bags of carrots in my fridge at all times.

You can also use this time to pre-cook some meat, either broil, or slow cook some boneless skinless
chicken breasts and set them aside to be used in meals later during the week. It takes about the same
amount of time to cook one chicken breast as it does to cook six.

Wash, cut and store all of your newly purchased fruits and vegetables. You can even throw a slow cooker meal in a zip lock bag and freeze it for later use. The possibilities are nearly endless.

The best part? Only doing dishes ONCE!

If you are not a bulk cooker, you can do a simplified version of this by just cleaning and cutting the
veggies and fruits to have them prepared for later, and then do the majority of your cooking each day as you eat.

However you choose to do it, I cannot stress enough how much this pays off.
Just having a plan, and healthy food in the house will more than double your chances of success! Seriously.

A quick review
1: Plan a menu for the week
2: Create a shopping list bases on your menu
3: Head to the store and stick to the list
4: Store food until ready for your food prep ritual
5: Clean, cut, cook, and package food for the coming week
6: Take it easy the rest of the week because your food is already prepared



Here are a few ideas of foods you can prepare this weekend