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When I tell people that I am a nutrition coach I get mixed response. Usually people say, "Wow, that's cool" but they still have this look that tells me they don't really know what that means. Forget what you think you know about nutrition coaching and let me tell you what my experience has actually been. When I take on a client they are generally looking for someone who can tell them what to do, someone who can "fix them", someone who can give them a meal plan, or someone who can play the role of the personal food police. But that isn't how a good coach rolls OR how Precision Nutrition trains their coaches. A good nutrition coach is 1-part nutritionist, 1-part life coach A good coach knows that telling people what they are doing wrong and what they should do actually creates resistance in the client. Also, telling people what to do all the time doesn't nurture autonomy- an important ingredient to long-term success. People have lives and people are busy. A good coach helps the client learn how to manage those other crazy busy parts of their life so the client can actually give the time they need to their health without feeling like their whole world just got blown up. And I believe there are too many programs out there that do "blow up" people's lives, and they end up exhausted and fed up because it isn't sustainable for the long-haul plus, they haven't learned how to integrate the essential basics into their real-time life. Nutrition coaching uncovers the broken parts of us, not cover them up. I've had clients cry to me, tell me family drama, cuss at me. I think even hate me (temporarily). Why? Because junk gets dug up, wounds get revealed and it's an uncomfortable process. Change is always an uncomfortable process. And if we can get comfortable with being uncomfortable, then we can stop burying our emotions with food. Healthy eating begins in your head, in your thoughts and in your beliefs (plus a bit of sound nutrition education). In Pn coaching we spend a lot of front loaded time clearing headspace because if we can't work through some of your thoughts and deeply-held beliefs then we we'll never make long-term progress. But I'm still surprised at how many people still give into the latest health product marketing ploys, looking for the "magic bullet", and how we believe a product or recipe is healthy just because it is labeled so. But I'm even more surprised at how we turn a blind eye to how poorly we feed our children, how much sugar and processed junk we eat on a daily basis, and how we've lost so much time in our daily busyness that we can't even take 30 minutes to make dinner, let alone 3 minutes to make our bed. So this is where education comes in. I educate clients about what healthy eating actually looks like, how to simplify and whittle down life demands so they can actually take time to read a food label, prep some veggies, and cook dinner for their family. I've helped clients develop life skills to work through these and other issues including things like making grocery lists, navigating a grocery store, food prep, cooking techniques, trying new foods, reading food labels, managing sleep and creating a bedtime routine, managing stress, mitigating and counseling with loved ones, and being their own person, a person that doesn't blame their weight gain or inability to eat healthy on people or circumstances. Skills and habits will always trump meal plans. Here's the kicker- without skills like:
So. Here we are again. What is nutrition coaching? Nutrition coaching is a coach working as a guide for healthy eating and lifestyle management with the goal to make the client the expert of their own body for the rest of their life. That truly is the essence of nutrition coaching, and it works. You just have to trust the process. Interested in working with me? 
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If you search for "how to hard boil eggs in an instant pot", you will find that the top hits all say something like, "don't do more than a single layer of eggs in the pot, so the eggs cook easily". WHAAAT? That honestly doesn't make any sense to me at all. With all the space between the eggs, I was sure that the eggs would cook evenly in the pot. Now, disclaimer: One of the reasons behind a single layer of eggs is so the eggs don't crack. That was something I was willing to risk so I tried 32 eggs in the pot my first try and guess what? My house didn't explode, there wasn't even an exploded egg mess in my instant pot, but there was 2 cracked eggs that were still intact and completely edible. So...you may have a few eggs crack (I have never had more than 3 crack at a time), but you know you wanted to eat one or two hot fresh out of the pot anyway. I love having hard boiled eggs in my fridge for ready to go, easy-grab natural and complete sources of protein. Great for snacks, in salads, and any meal. Give it a try! And for heaven's sakes, don't cook 32 eggs if you don't need that many. The day I cooked 32, I had houseguests, so it made sense for me to do that. Maybe 12 is actually all you need. But trust me, your house won't explode if you do more. xo   Bulk Hard Boiled Eggs In The Instant Pot, Great for Snacks and Food Prep
Up to 32 fresh eggs Instant Pot with trivet 1 C of water Put 1 C cool water in instant pot with trivet. Carefully place desired number of eggs on trivet, close lid and steam release valve. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes then immediately quick release the steam valve. Give eggs a cold bath, and eat a warm fresh egg before storing the rest in your fridge! Let's keep this post simple, because reading an entire essay before getting to a recipe is annoying. You're going to love this simple, refreshing salad, perfect for your next summer gathering!  All ingredients are approximate. Go with your senses, you CAN do this without exact measurements, I promise.
SIMPLE CAULIFLOWER SALAD 1 head of cauliflower steamed and chopped into "rice". 1 bunch of curly parsley finely chopped 1/2 bunch of cilantro finely chopped (can be omitted if you don't like cilantro) A few drizzles of avocado oil or olive oil Juice of 1 lemon Toasted and salted pepitas Feta cheese Salt and pepper Steam cauliflower, chop into "rice", throw into a bowl, and let cool, before adding other ingredients. Add other ingredients and stir well. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. This salad tastes better if it can sit a few hours in the fridge before eating. Enjoy your healthy, plant-strong salad! xo Hello beautiful clients,
It's Friday! Another week has flown by in your Pn coaching journey! How was your week? Did you crush the habit you're focusing on while keeping up the ones previously learned? Or did you find yourself making excuses as to why you can't or don't need to show up for yourself? The value of time, and the importance of daily work becomes very evident during this program. Have you ever had the thought, "Wow, two weeks to work on this habit? Too easy. I need something more challenging." Only to find yourself at the end of the 2 weeks unchanged and realize you barely did the small and simple habit (plus the ones previously learned ) that would have gotten you results? Many of you are months into Pn coaching, and still majorly struggling to keep up consistency with habits and lessons. Yes, change can be hard, but only if we let it be so. Excuses will never get you the results you want and I'm hoping you can look at your Pn coaching experience with new eyes today. Can you see your year with me as a wonderful opportunity to learn how to manage yourself with food and to break old habits- not some HARD thing you "SHOULD" do? What if this wasn't a "should" and became a true want? How would your journey change going forward if you stopped dipping your toes in and took the full plunge and NEVER looked back? Let's stop saying or thinking this is hard. We all know hard. But this awesome, sustainable coaching journey isn't hard. Hard is birthing a baby. Hard is losing a baby. Hard is losing a parent. Hard is divorce. Hard is cancer. Hard is having a disabled family member. Hard is mental illness. Hard is feeling forsaken by God. Hard is war and hate, anger and resentment. We all have hard. Let's not add insult to injury through our own personal hard by eating poorly and not taking care of ourselves. No, eating well and taking care of ourselves shouldn't be seen as hard. It's a privilege. And your right to do so. You have more strength than you think you have. Onward. love, Dawn Let this dish develop flavor by sitting at room temperature for 20 mins after it's made.  Savory Thai Green Bean Salad
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 2 T avocado oil 2 T fresh lime juice, or more to taste 1 T fish sauce, or more to taste 2 tomatoes chopped 1/3 cup fried shallots 1./3 cup fresh sliced shallots 1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed 1 T toasted sesame seeds Bring a large pot of water to a boil. and cook green beans until crisp tender- about 4 mins. Drain and rinse in cold water and let cool to room temp. Meanwhile, whisk oil, lime juice and fish sauce in a large bowl, stir in the fried and fresh shallots, green beans, tomatoes, cilantro and sesame seeds and a bit of salt. Stir to combine and let sit at room temp for 20 mins for flavors to develop. Try these spicy sweet roasted sweet potatoes as a side to your next meal, add them to a salad, or eat them as a snack!  Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes
all measurements are approximate 4-6 sweet potatoes chopped into about 1 inch cubes. Peeling is optional, I can usually get my kids to eat more of these if I peel them. Olive oil or other high-heat cooking oil like avocado oil 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp tumeric 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp paprika Toss sweet potatoes in a drizzling of oil in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix all spices. Use judgement here- if you are worried about too much spice on your potatoes, don't add all of it! Sprinkle on, toss to coat and let your eyes and nose help you know if you have enough seasoning. Roast in the oven at 450 until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside (about 30 mins). So easy to throw together, and so nutritious. All you need is some left-over quinoa, eggs, a bit of salsa or hot sauce and avocado. Try adding other veggies too!  Lazy breakfast bowl
Melt 1 tsp of coconut oil in a hot pan. Crack several eggs into pan. Add 1/4-1/2 Cup already cooked leftover quinoa. Stir over medium high heat until cooked through. Transfer to bowl. Add salsa to your liking. Cut up a 1/2 of an avocado and add to the side of your bowl. Enjoy this protein packed breakfast full of healthy fats to keep you satisfied for hours! This salad has quickly become one of my favorites this summer. It's garlicy, spicy, tangy, crunchy, fresh and pretty easy to throw together because it starts with bagged cabbage slaw mix. Come to find out it's called Curtido. Traditional curtido is prepared days in advance, allowing it to develop a fermented tang, but this shortcut version is a nice fallback when you haven't thought ahead. Try it spooned atop fish tacos, beef barbacoa or sandwiched into Mexican gorditas!  Mexi Fresh Cabbage Slaw 2 16 oz cabbage or cole slaw mix packages 1 bunch of green onions, sliced 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced 1 jalapeno, minced (if you have a high tolerance for spice, use all the seeds of the jalapeno, if not only include 1/2 of the jalapeno seeds) 4 T oil, I use avocado oil but any liquid at room temp oil will work 2 T high quality dijon mustard 1.5 T ground cumin 1/2 C apple cider vinegar 1/3 C honey 1 tsp sea salt 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper I literally just throw all the ingredients into a big bowl (pictured below) and stir really well. Let the flavors of this salad meld together by leaving it in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Enjoy!  I adapted this recipe from a cookbook called "Good Mood Food" from Cooking Light. Here are some similar recipes you might like!
Mexican Cabbage Slaw with Cumin Lime Dressing from Veggies Don't bite Simple Mexican Coleslaw from the Kitchen Magpie Easy Mexican Coleslaw from Foodie Crush Quick Curtido from Serious Eats Today I'm excited to share a special promo code for compression sleeves, socks, and braces from Mojo! I've reviewed Mojo socks before, see previous post here. I wear my Mojos regularly and LOVE them for running, hiking, biking and even long car rides! I have poor venous return on my legs but wearing Mojo compression stockings and sleeves helps SO much. I feel stronger, more "held together" and have better endurance when I'm wearing them and with long car rides, my legs don't get restless with them on. A few years ago my husband and I went on a long trip to Africa and Sweden to visit my brother (Africa) and my In-Laws (Sweden). I knew that it was going to take forever to get to Africa from Las Vegas with 2 layovers and a lot of sitting so I wore my Mojo FIRM compression stockings for the trip and my legs felt happy and not restless at all, even after 20 hours of travel and no sleep. Here are a few other benefits of wearing compression:
Mojo has a wide range of sizes, compression levels and styles to fit your performance and recovery needs. Check out some of the styles below! For reference, I am a size small and I LOVE my firm support socks and sleeves. I am wearing light level compression socks in the above photos. Enter code: DBWELLNESS at checkout for 60% off plus free shipping good now till the end of the month! (7/31/2017) Today I am tired of the "do this", "do that" noise we are both bombarded with everyday from the world and we create within our own head. We so often think we have to do more to become more. Sometimes it's simpler than that. Sometimes NOT doing something is what we need to be healthier and happier. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Stop thinking you can't. Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right. The power of thought is real. Your thinking determines how you feel, your feelings will turn into action and your actions give you your results. Believe that you can do anything you truly want to do and you might surprise yourself with how changing your mind can change your life. 2. Stop competing. I'm not talking about events where maybe you're trying to beat a time, or you're playing team sports or you're on the British Baking show trying to win. I'm talking about trying to be better than, impress or "one-up" your neighbor, your sister-in-law, your friends, whoever! Let's all just do our own personal best and not care what anyone else thinks. What other people think of you- good or bad is none of your business! I've known people who will allow not being as good at something prevent them from even trying. Case in point: Yoga. I can't tell you how many friends of mine have wanted to "get into yoga" but don't let themselves because they believe they aren't good enough to even try or are worried about how they will look to other people. 3. Stop social pressure eating. Social eating used to really get me. I didn't want to "hurt feelings" because I wasn't eating a dessert and everyone else was, and I would eat almost everything offered to me just so I didn't have to say no. But I have changed, and it is liberating. Now I can say, "No thank you", without worrying I'm being rude. If people want to think it's rude then that is up to them, but I want to make choices that are best for me. Believe me when I say I still eat in social settings, but it is never because of some social pressure. If I eat in a social setting it is because I want to. So stop eating out of obligation. You're a big kid now and it's time you learned how to say, "No". 4. Stop buying food you don't want to eat. Here's the hard truth: If you buy it, you will eventually eat it. So stop buying food you know isn't good for you and your family and stop pretending you won't eat it because chances are you will or you already did! 5. Stop making excuses. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and we all get busy. Stop thinking you don't have time for what's really important and stop blaming other people for your "lack of time". Saying you don't have time is a lie because you have the same 24 hours like everyone else. If you feel time is your enemy eliminate some of the junk from your life. 6. Stop going to bed late. Being chronically tired can affect every aspect of your life. I know from plenty of experience in the lack of sleep department that when I sleep well I am well. 7. Stop stressing out. Unnecessary stress will leach into your being and turn you into a cranky, tight and uptight person even raising your blood pressure and affecting your heart health. Realize you can't change the past but you can change how you think about the past. You also can't change the future and worrying about it won't serve you. You also can't change other people. Let. It. Go. and you will be so much happier. 8. Stop trying every fad diet. We all know that the best diet is balanced, nutritious, moderate and sustainable featuring food from Mother Earth. Why do we keep listening to the hype surrounding the latest fad? 9. Stop taking seconds at every meal. I love to eat and I know how hard it can be to stop when your stomach is satisfied but your mouth wants more food. Usually for me the second helping doesn't taste as good as the first and I almost never need the extra calories I'm getting from my second plate. Try giving yourself a 20 minute break from food after your first serving. After the break check in with your body. Then decide if you still need a second helping. 10. Stop eating so fast. I'm always the last person eating at a meal- this is one thing I've got down. I do love to eat slow. It helps me enjoy my food and lets my brain catch up to my stomach or my stomach catch up to my brain, whatever it is. Have you ever eaten in a such a rush that you barely tasted your food? Yuck! I hate that! Slow down and enjoy! 11. Stop overriding important body cues. Have you learned to hear your body? Can you tell when it's truly hungry or tired or needs a stretch or needs a drink of water or needs a walk? Your body is wise but we can be so unwise in it. Learning to listen and honor what your body is telling you is one of the most life-affirming skills you may ever develop. Try this: Next time you are hungry be curious about where your hunger is coming from. Is it true stomach hunger? Is it cellular hunger? Or is your body simply tired or thirsty? Does your brain think hunger because you saw, smelled or tasted something yummy? Do you think you're hungry because it's simply "meal time"? Or is it human connection that you crave? Do you have any experience with any of these points? I'd love to hear about it. And try to be kind to yourself as you navigate what is best for you and your body. xo Dawn |
dawnI love movement and habits that promote health and lifetime wellness. I also like stretchy pants, being outside and good-for-you food! Follow me on Instagram @DawnBrownCoaching for more frequent updates. Archives
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