September is National Fruits and Veggies—More Matters Month!

We all know we should eat our fruits and veggies - I’m mean, we’ve been told that since we were little, right?

How many of you weren’t allowed to leave the table until you had eaten the last of your peas and carrots? I know it wasn’t just me!

Surprisingly though, I’ve had many a client tell me that although they might eat some fruit once in awhile, they either don’t eat any veggies or they only have a few servings per week!

What they don’t realize is that they’re missing out on the amazing disease prevention benefits of these superfoods, which are responsible for warding off everything from cancer to heart disease, and so much more!

Aside from the long-term benefits, loading up on fruits and veggies can also have immediate benefits to your health and well-being!

That’s why you don’t want to forget about these superfoods!

Here are three ways fruits and vegetables can help you enjoy better health and well-being today (shared from Juice Plus):

1. They make you feel happier and more energetic. Think that cinnamon roll will make you feel happier than an apple? Think again! A 2013 study published in The British Journal of Health Psychology revealed that fruits and vegetables are the real comfort food. For three weeks, young people filled out food diaries tracking their fruit and veggie intake. Turned out, the more produce folks ate in a given day, the better their mood and energy level that day — as well as the next.
2. They lower your stress levels. Chowing down on fruits and vegetables daily can slash your risk of experiencing psychological stress — especially for women. That’s the take-away from breaking research reported by the journal BMJ Open. In fact, women who ate 5-7 servings of produce every day were 23 percent less likely to feel stress than those who ate 0-1.[2]
3. They help you sleep better. Many fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that facilitate healthy sleep patterns. For instance:

• Spinach is a great source of calcium, and research indicates that lack of calcium can cause difficulty falling asleep.
• Bananas are packed with magnesium, which helps your muscles relax, and potassium, which encourages deeper sleep.
• Tart cherries and tomatoes supply melatonin, the hormone that signals the body to sleep.
• Passionfruit contains the compound passiflorine, which is a natural sedative.

Despite all the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, more than 90 percent of American kids and adults don’t eat the recommended amount.


An easy way to stay on track is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack. You’ll want to limit juice, because it lacks the fiber found in whole fruits and vegetables.

Now, even as a nutritionist, I know I don't getting the recommended 13 servings a day as hard as I try, nor do I get the wide variety, so my family and I take Juice Plus.

It makes sense for me because I can rest assured that we are getting 30 servings of whole food, chemical free fruits and vegetables in a wide variety every day in capsule form. It’s super easy and my son is free (all kids are!)
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​If you also struggle to get the recommended daily dose of antioxidant-rich, phytonutrient-rich fruits and veggies, click HERE (your child is free!!)
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Now, as busy mom and wife, I know how hard it is to eat healthy on the go. We're busy all day at work and then have to rush home, grab a quick snack and rush off to soccer or hockey practice with our kids.

If this is you too, and you struggle to make healthy choices when you're strapped for time, grab a copy of my HEALTHY EATING ON THE GO Guide for FREE right HERE.

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Until next time,

May Anne xo
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Admittedly, I used to have a love/hate relationship with exercise, but I’ve actually come to enjoy it now and that is because I choose to do exercises that I enjoy, and I leave the rest.  

(Don't feel like reading? No worries - just watch the video above!)

Really, a lot of my exercise comes from daily movement and isn’t just for the sole purpose of working out.

By that I mean, I take my son to the park and we play baseball or soccer, I go for family hikes, I take my dog out for walks, and I even make my house cleaning into a workout! (Can you picture me doing squats as I clean the shower walls?) 

Some of my body movements are from actual intentional exercise but a lot of it is from just being intentional about getting my body moving with things I enjoy!    

It’s important to understand WHY exercise is an essential component of healthy living or weight loss program, and HOW it will increase its effectiveness by helping you to tone up, strengthen your bones and speed up your metabolism, which will help you to lose weight more quickly.    

While 80% of weight loss is what we eat, exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and plays a really important role in weight loss as well.

Benefits of Exercise:

• Weight Loss,
• Increases Metabolism,
• Boosts Mood,
• Improves Libido,
• Boosts Energy,
• Clears Your Mind,
• Speeds Removal Of Toxins,
• Reduces Risk Factors Of Many Diseases,
• And that’s just to name a few!  

You don’t have to join a gym or buy fancy equipment. Incorporating movement into your daily living is easier and less complicated than you might think.

Getting your body moving four to five days per week for at least 30 minutes will do wonders.

As I mentioned earlier, finding something you enjoy is key. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick with it. You can start small and gradually increase the time and intensity.
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The picture below features one of my absolute favourite ways to get my body moving - hiking in nature with my family (this was during our summer vacation in Gaspe, Quebec last month.)

​When I hike, I get it all - fresh air, sunshine, exercise, nature AND time with my family - Bonus!
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Here are some other great ideas:

• Walking (parking the car further away from work, walking on your lunch break, walking the dog, taking the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator)  
• Yoga,
• Cycling,
• Jogging,
• Swimming,
• Sports,
• Racquet sports,
• Aerobics class,
• You get the idea!

The main thing is to find something you enjoy – so you stick with it! 

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You also want to choose some weight-bearing exercises to strengthen your bones. A benefit to this is lean muscle mass speeds up your metabolism, which helps with weight loss.

Even after your workout is over, you’ll continue to burn calories because of the increase in muscle.  

If you’re worried about looking bulky – don’t. Basically, if you can lift the weight you’re using 10 times in a row, you’re only going to tone your muscles and not bulk up.   

Here’s your ACTION TASK: Choose an activity (or more than one) from the list above, or use your own ideas, and get your body moving 2 days this week. You’re going to gradually increase that to at least 4 days/week.   

If you’re like me, you’ll need to schedule it in your agenda, and give it the same level of importance (or higher!) as paying the bills.  

Whenever we do something for ourselves, for some reason, it’s the first thing that gets set aside when anything seemingly more important comes up. Do you see this happening in your life? If so, make sure you read this blog post about why it's essential to put yourself on your to-do list. 

So, expect that to happen and when you see that happening, take note of it, and make sure you rearrange your schedule so that exercise and the time needed to prepare your foods is a priority.

You’re worth it and when you take the time to take care of yourself everyone around you benefits.

When you feel better about yourself and you’re giving your body and mind what they need physically, emotionally and nutritionally, others are going to notice a shift in your mood and your attitude and it’s going to affect your relationships for the better.

After you watch this video (or read this post), I want you to share in the comments below what exercises you’re choosing to get your body moving this week!

Until next time,

May Anne xo

My family and I just returned from our vacation to the Gaspe Peninsula and due to internet connectivity issues, I was unable to write a blog post last week :(

We go every summer, but both my husband and myself found it really hard to leave there this time. I think it's because we were both really just starting to relax and unwind, and leaving when we did seemed like we were cutting off the relaxation process too quickly. 

Does it take you awhile to get in the groove of relaxing too? It takes me a few days just to start unwinding and allowing my mind to quiet down from the hustle and bustle of being an entrepreneur and running my own business.

You see, I've only been an entrepreneur for one and a half years, so I'm still learning (sometimes the hard way!) how important it is to take the time to temporarily shut off the many thoughts and ideas that are constantly running through my head at any given moment.  

But I was finally able to do that - around day 4. Next vacation, I'm aiming for day 2 :)

While I was strolling the beach (one of my absolute favourite things to do in the whole world) on our last day I filmed a little video with my "aha" moments from this trip. 

You can check out the video HERE. 

Also, I recently had the pleasure of being asked to contribute to this month's edition of Durham Region's "East of the City" magazine. In this issues, we're talking Keto & Paleo diets, along with the benefits and challenges of each.

Check it out HERE in the Health Section on pg 36.


Before I go, I want to leave with another variation of Energy Bites (these are perfect for making double or triple batches of and storing in the freezer for whenever you need them!)

Hemp Heart Energy Bites
 
Ingredients:
25 whole pitted dates
½ cup unsweetened, raw nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower seed, etc)
2 TB coconut oil
1 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup dark chocolate chips (50% cacao or higher)
 
Instructions:

1. Process dates, almond butter & coconut oil until it forms a blended paste
2. Mix in hemp hearts, coconut & chocolate chips. You may have to use your hands!
3. Roll into 2-inch balls. You may have to squeeze a little to get them to stick
4. Place on a baking sheet and let set in the fridge or freezer for 1 hour.
5. Take out and enjoy as needed! Good idea to make double or triple batches.

ENJOY!!

Until next time,

May Anne xo

P.S.  Have you joined me on Instagram yet? If not, please do! I love sharing through photos and showing you snippets of the behind-the-scenes of my life through Instagram Posts and Instagram Stories which consist of either food, nature, my hubby or my son, Isaac!