The more I talk to first-time clients, the more I realize how many people initially think that weight loss and healthy eating is an “all-or-nothing” thing, and that if they commit to healthy changes they’ll have something taken away, that it’s removing their freedom in a sense.  

I question them on whether or not they actually feel free in their life when they eat whatever they want.
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Most people say no, because they know deep inside that food is controlling them and they feel a sense of guilt and shame when they allow themselves to eat whatever they feel like.

True freedom comes from the ability to say no to things that are harmful for us.

(Don't feel like reading? That's ok, I've got you covered. Just watch the video above - it contains the same information!)

Freedom is also being able to do the things we enjoy in life without being physically or mentally restricted from doing so.

Having the physical ability to go for a family hike, to me, is freedom.

Feeling confident in form-fitting clothing to me is freedom.

Not being able to join your friends or family at the beach because you’re too embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit, to me indicates a lack of freedom.

I know it doesn’t have to be that way, and I want other women to know that regardless of where they are in their health journey right now, they can move towards a life of freedom.  

We were all created to be free. I think a lot of resistance towards changing how we eat and how we live has to do with that thought of having things taken away.

I want to challenge you to think the opposite. When you choose your food based on what it can do for you, when think of food as fuel for your body and give it what it needs to thrive, think of the freedom you will gain.

I’m going to be a little vulnerable here and share my age with you. I’m in my mid 40’s, and honestly, I feel way better now than I did twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago, I wasn’t thinking about food as fuel for my body and I ate whatever I felt like.

Although I wasn’t overweight, I felt pretty yucky most of the time. I was tired, bloated, had candida and IBS, and at the time, I didn’t even correlate how I felt with what I ate.

Now that I’ve studied it and seen first hand the difference that food choices can make, I’m intentional with the way I eat and exercise.

It doesn’t mean never having the foods you love. I love food.

I personally live by the 80/20 rule, where 80% of the time I am intentional about eating whole, live foods as close to nature as possible, and I can choose to indulge the other 20% of the time.

Once I got into the routine of being purposeful about what I ate, and started thinking about food as nourishment for my body, I actually started to crave good food and the way it makes me feel. It’s the same with exercise.

It’s always hard to start at first, but then with consistency, it turns into a habit and it becomes your norm, and you actually start to miss it when you don’t do it because it makes you feel so good.

So, I hope this has helped you to think a little differently about making healthy changes, that it’s a step towards freedom, not away from it.

I would love to hear your comments and feedback, just post them below. If you would like information on how we could work together, just send me an email HERE.

​May Anne xo

I know how difficult it can be to make both healthy and delicious meals after working all day, and I know what it’s like to fight against the temptation to throw a box of frozen pizza in the oven with a pre-bought container of macaroni salad on the side.

That’s why convenience foods are so popular, because they’re convenient. They’re easy, when our lives are so busy.

The problem is, the main purpose of convenience foods is just that - convenience.

Not nutrition.

​(Don't feel like reading? No worries, I've got you covered. The video above covers everything in this post! Just click play on the video to listen.)

Convenience foods are highly processed, which means, most of the good stuff is removed and cheap fillers and preservatives are added.

The majority of the time, artificial flavours and colours are also added to make it look nice, not to mention the pile of sugar that is added to pretty much everything.

These chemicals are really difficult on our digestive system and can wreak havoc on our bodies when they’re used long-term.

A convenience meal here and there isn’t going to hurt, when it’s just a one-off type of thing, but in the long run, relying on these types of foods too often will have a negative impact on our health and the health of our families.  

That being said, I also know that without proper planning, it’s difficult to have consistent delicious, healthy meals. Planning ahead is the key here.

I’d like to share some of my favourite tips with you that have saved me from take-out many
times, and I would love to hear your tips too! Please share them in the comments below.

1. Use your crockpot and find recipes that don’t require any precooking or majorprep work. Pinterest can be your best friend for this. Prepare as much as you can the night before and throw everything into the crockpot and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, put your slow cooker on and you’ll come home to a delicious smelling house and a fresh cooked meal. If you make extra, you will have leftovers to either use for lunches the next day or to use for dinner another night that week. I love leftovers for this reason.
2. Prepare extra food on the weekends. Consider foods that can be combined into different meals throughout the week. Cook up some ground turkey or beef. Roast a chicken and cook up some quinoa or brown rice. Preparing extra food ahead of time can make life easier because you just have to throw these pre-cooked foods into recipes for quick and healthy meals.
3. Double or triple recipes. Remember when I said I love left-overs? This is my all-time favourite technique for saving time on busy nights. It works great for things like chilis, casseroles, stews, pasta dishes and soups. If you don’t want to have it again that week, you can place portions into containers for the freezer, and pull them out on those nights you that you don’t feel like cooking. Having the leftovers in the right sized container means you can grab them to take with you for your lunch as well.
4. Have breakfast for supper. Eggs are such a versatile food and can be used in any meal. I’ve served omelettes for supper many times when I’ve been short on time. Chop up some fresh veggies and some feta or goats cheese, maybe a little bit of salsa, and you’ve got a quick and healthy meal. Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy to be healthy and delicious.
5. Cut your veggies up ahead of time and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. That way, they’re also available as a quick and healthy snack during the week.

There you have it - 5 of my favourite tips for making evening meals easier and healthier when life is busy enough, and when you don’t want to keep reaching for convenience foods that are void of the nutrition that you and your family need to stay healthy and strong.

Please add any of your own personal favourite tips into the comments below so you can share them with the rest of us!

May Anne xo

​P.S. If you really want to eat healthier, but aren't quite sure what that looks like or don't know where to start, contact me HERE for a complimentary 30 minute Discovery call, so you can see what it would be like to work with me. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding this time of year to be extra busy. With all of the back-to-school activities, full weekdays, and my son’s hockey on both Saturday’s and Sundays, with a lot of early morning practices, I’m already starting to feel drained.

​(Don't feel like reading? No worries, just watch the video above for the same content)

With all of this busyness as well as the role of hockey mom, it’s a balance of making sure I take care of my needs and make sure I’m getting enough sleep.

I’m sure a lot of you can relate, and you don’t have to be a hockey mom to have a busy schedule and a lot of balancing going on between work and family activities.

Did you know that just two nights of poor sleep can equate to lost productivity, lowered immunity and slow response time? Just two. I’m sure a lot of us have missed more sleep than that. To make matters worse, it also leads to weight gain, imbalanced hormones and premature aging.

Click HERE to view my video on "The Link Between Exhaustion And Weight Gain."

And if you’ve had a few restless nights, it’s really hard to catch up on missed sleep.

While there are other factors at play, including stress and the atmosphere in your room, if you’re looking for a better sleep there are a few foods that can lend a hand.

You can try adding these foods to your diet:

1. 1.Green, leafy veggies – Leafy greens contain vitamin C, which is often too low in people who wake up throughout the night.  vitamin C rich foods include things like, strawberries, kiwi, citrus fruits and  bell peppers
   
2. Brazil nuts, halibut or Tuna– The rich selenium content in these foods will help regulate sleep, immunity and thyroid hormone.
   
3. Whole grains – Whole grains like quinoa, oats, buckwheat and spelt can boost your magnesium levels for a more restful sleep.  They’re also great as a bedtime snack.
   
4. Wild caught salmon or Walnuts – Their high levels of omega-3 essential fats have proven to help people have deeper sleep.
   
5. Eggs – Egg yolks contain vitamin D, which your body needs for good sleep.

Remember, too, that eating too much before bed can disrupt your sleep.  Try to eat your last meal 3-4 hours before you go to bed, and keep bedtime snacks small.

As always, if you have questions or comments please leave them below.

If you would like a 30-Minute Complimentary Discovery call, just reply to this email so we can set up a time to chat, and see if we would be a good fit!

​May Anne xo

​Today I want to talk to you about Digestion, and the significant role it plays in not only weight loss, but in so many illnesses and disease.

Don't feel like reading? That's ok, I've created a video (above) with the same content, for those who prefer to watch and not read :)

Our digestive system is where our nutrients get assimilated and absorbed (or not.) And I say ‘or not’ because if our digestive system isn’t functioning well, then we’re not absorbing all of the nutrients we’re taking in. This is where you often see someone deficient in a nutrient, even though they consume plenty of it.

Some signs that you may have an imbalance in your digestive system include: headaches, bowel issues like constipation or diarrhea or a combination of both, bloating & gas, especially after eating, depression, being overweight, bad breath and low energy. It can also cause you to feel unwell and uncomfortable after eating. You may also have been diagnosed as having IBS by a doctor.

An underactive digestive system can also promote weight gain and inhibits fat loss. When the body becomes over-toxic, it works inefficiently, slowing down the elimination process.

The immune system and other vital functions also begin to slow down.

I suffered for years with digestive issues like bloating and not feeling well after eating, and every doctor I saw chalked it up to IBS. It wasn’t until I started studying nutrition that I recognized that what I had was an underactive stomach and I needed to work on supporting my digestive system, so I could be free from the discomfort and bloating every time I ate.  

The good news is, there are ways to support your digestive system, which will help with weight loss and help you to feel better.

I’m going to share a few of the tips that helped me the most:

• Eat slowly and chew your food well. I know, this can be hard for busy women and this was one of my worst habits. It took focused effort to slow down and relax when I ate.
• Avoid or limit processed, refined and convenience foods. This includes canned, frozen and packaged foods. These types of foods contain a lot of additives and chemicals that the digestive system has a really hard time processing.
• Consume plenty of fibre rich whole foods, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These are foods the digestive system likes and it knows how to process them. Fibre-rich, whole foods also help the body to eliminate toxins and waste and help with weight loss.
• Daily exercise helps to stimulate healthy intestinal muscle contractions and to help eliminate toxins.
• Add a probiotic supplement to increase healthy gut bacteria, which also crowds out the bad bacteria.
• Drink plenty of water. Your digestive system needs plenty of pure water to keep it functioning properly.

Digestive system issues are one of the most common underlying problems that people have, and are a common reason why women are unable to lose weight easily.

When I do individual assessments with clients, digestive issues are often easily uncovered.

In light of Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’ve decided to offer a Thanksgiving special on my 3-month wellness plan until Thanksgiving Monday. I’ve included the link at the bottom of this page.

One of my favourite ways to work with clients is 1:1, where I can sit down with them either in person or via Skype and do a complete assessment with them. Since everyone one of us is unique with our own specific needs, health status and comfort level, a complete assessment allows me to make more personalized recommendations, and I can detect any system imbalances that may be present while working at the clients’ pace, with their goals, likes and dislikes in mind.

We can then work on supporting those system imbalances, so that they will no longer be in the way of them achieving their goals.

If you’re wondering if a personalized assessment might be right for you, but you’re not sure, just send me an email at mayanne@wellnesswithmayanne.com and we can chat about it and see if it’s right for you.

​I hope you have a fabulous and healthy day. 

May Anne xo

https://wellnesswithmayanne.lpages.co/3-month-wellness-plan/