Monthly Archives: November 2023

Latest Wellness Read

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I promised you guys I’d keep you posted about my fave wellness books this year, so here ya go…


A few weeks ago, I finished Dr. Mark Hyman’s book about longevity and the incredibly rapid advancements being made in the area. Like I expected, I appreciated his perspective as both a medical physician and functional medicine doctor- it’s the merge between the two that I have always found my beliefs about health and wellness live.


I also appreciated the quizzes he incorporated to give people an idea of where they may need to utilize some strategies, root cause analysis or the help of a functional medicine physician to ease their dis-eases. And I most definitely appreciated the science, scientific studies and explanations of the root causes of abnormal aging and what we can do about it- cause I just geek out on that science stuff anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️


I finished the book with a commitment to continuing to work on the quality of my sleep, being more consistent with 12 hour intermittent fasting and a goal of measuring my comprehensive health markers more regularly (i.e. more than what most of our doctors will look at, unfortunately).


Some may read the book and roll their eyes at some of the new and emerging practices in anti aging and many of us will think “well, that’s nice, but who can afford them anyway?” But, I read these parts and choose to believe that medicine is changing to a more holistic, client centered and preventative model and completed those sections of the book with feelings of hope, excitement and optimism.


Bottom line- if you’re over the age of 30 and want to know what you can do in every decade of your life to extend both lifespan and (more importantly), HEALTHSPAN, this book could be for you. Or, if you have a loved one in your life whose struggling with what has long been told to us are the “normal” processes of aging but are not ready to just accept that, this book is for you too!

My hope is that people pick up books like this, gain a little knowledge into the science of how we can heal and live healthfully, and implement 1-2 strategies at a time that can truly change the course of their lives. Because we all have it in us to do just that ❤️


Tell me- have you read this yet?? What strategies are you implementing?

To your health,

~Jess

Thanksgiving Tips

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Though I can’t believe it’s already here, I woke up this morning feeling excited for the week to come. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays…a day to spend with family and the kickoff to one of my favorite times of year. Yet, in my job as a Health Coach and Personal Trainer, I’ve noticed that Thanksgiving either represents a really difficult day for those who are trying to “stay on track” with nutrition goals, or it becomes that start of “giving up” until after the holidays. I get tons of questions from my clients every year about surviving Thanksgiving without undoing all of the hard work they’ve put into training and nutrition, so I decided to jot down a few of my favorite tips… But first, we must face the facts. Though not true for everyone, there are some downright startling statistics out there about what the average person consumes on Thanksgiving:

  •  On average, we consume 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day
  • 229 grams of fat are also consumed
  • One slice of pecan pie averages 503 calories. You don’t want to know the fat content
  • And sweet potato casserole: 460 calories per serving. In a side dish…yikes!

The average weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Years is 3-7 lbs. every year. Ok, I’m done scaring you (and myself) now. And I would never want my clients to think that Thanksgiving is not a day to be enjoyed, and to be a little indulgent. But, after all the work you’ve put in to lose weight, get fit, change your eating habits, there are a few simple strategies to try this year:

  • Surviving Thanksgiving starts with a workout. Plan a really good workout on Wednesday and even on Thursday morning. It’ll make you feel good when you’re wearing that new outfit on Thursday, it will remind you of how far you’ve come, and it never hurts to burn a few extra calories when you know you’ll be indulging soon.
  • Make Thanksgiving dinner a meal, not a day. Eat a light breakfast and lunch/snack before you go out. Skip the appetizers. Stay hydrated. And enjoy that dinner!
  • If you are hungry before dinner is served, stick to fruits and veggies. Bring a healthy appetizer to share if you know dinner is served later and you’ll be hungry.
  • I’m a big fan of bringing a healthy side dish (translation: veggies), that haven’t been cooked in a ton of oil, butter or salt. Make veggies half of your plate…don’t worry, you’ll still have room for the good stuff.
  • Back to the sweet potato casserole. Personally, I’m such a lover of sweet potatoes, I’ve never understood adding an abundance of sugar/marshmellows/butter to them. But, if that’s how they’re prepared at your family meal, do me a favor and remove the marshmellows.
  • Thanksgiving is a nearly impossible time to limit carbs, but atleast keep it in control. Follow the “My Plate” guidelines by keeping carbs to approximately 1/4 of your plate. Either choose stuffing or mashed potatoes and save the other for leftovers the next day, or have a little of both…just make sure they stay in one quarter of your plate. (Reminder: piling up doesn’t count as staying to one quarter of the plate).
  • Speaking of exercise, round up some friends or family for a walk after dinner. My family has done this for several years, and I have to say, everyone enjoys it…husbands, kids, even Grandma. Or, there’s always the quick football game after dinner has been digested.
  • Choose white meat over dark. You know this one.
  • Drink a full glass of water in between alcholic drinks/apple cider/eggnog. It will cut down significantly on calories and might even fill you up so dessert isn’t as tempting.
  • And onto dessert…I promise, this is not the last time you’ll ever see dessert again. Plan as well in advance as you need to, and choose one to indulge in. It almost never works that you save calories when you have “a little of this” and “a bite of this.” You’ll eat more than if you stuck to one choice. My recommendation: take a reasonable slice of pumpkin pie and your drink of choice and step away from the dessert buffet. If snacking is difficult for you, don’t choose cleaning up the dessert table as the time you volunteer to help. Why torture yourself?
  • After you’ve enjoyed your meal/drinks/desserts, enjoy time with family. Don’t feel guilty, but don’t think that eating more than usual at one meal means you should just give yourself the free pass for the day. Instead, focus on family and friends. Enjoy a group game, watch football or head out on another walk.
  • Plan ahead for an awesome workout the next day. Make a plan to meet a friend at the gym, go for a walk as soon as you wake up, sign up for a yoga class to de-stress after Black Friday shopping. Get back on track ASAP and realize that you don’t have to gain weight to enjoy the holiday season.

So, read these strategies over. Re-read them. Choose 2-3 and commit to them. I promise, you’ll still enjoy the holiday and you’ll feel a lot better come Friday morning. A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours…

Cheers! Jess