Want to feel great for summer? I do.

Today kicks off the second session of our Pre-Summer Squeeze program. As I was reviewing our participant’s information forms, I scrolled through Instagram. One of my favorite healthy sites posted a quote with commentary “your body is perfect just the way it is.” And I thought, no it isn’t. That doesn’t mean my days are filled with self loathing or that I don’t appreciate that my body will take me on a run after I write this. It just means I can relate to our Squeezers saying they feel “ready to make changes” or “not on my game” or even “bloated”. My issue with this “your body is perfect” messaging is that, for me, it does the opposite of what I believe the intention is. It makes me feel I have to defend the desire to tweak things. And along with ditching a few items for the Squeeze, I look forward to feeling accomplished, focused and more confident along with my Squeezers. 

For some Monday Inspo

Did you catch Sheryl Sandberg’s commencement address to UC Berkely?

It’s worth a watch; I especially liked “not everything that happens to you is about you.” 

We don’t have to personalize everything and blame ourselves.

 And as only Amy Schumer can do, here’s a clip of her poking fun at sizing and the whole shopping experience.

Cheers to Monday! Have you had your Fire Cider yet?

What do you think of “your body is perfect” type messaging? Any other commencement addresses you enjoyed?

Please read if you’re contemplating a “teatox"

 I try to be in the know when it comes to nutrition trends and I’ll freely admit I had no idea “teatoxing” was such a thing. Snobessentials (love that name) asked me to weigh in on this trend.

So, what is a teatox?

Teatoxes are generally teas sold in sets with both a daytime and a nighttime tea.

The names of these products are pretty amusing: Showgirl Slim, Skinny Bunny, Naked me, Strip Teas (above). The daytime teas tend to contain some sort of upper and debloating spices. In the night version there’s a laxative ingredient and usually something sleep inducing.  On some websites, it was difficult to locate the ingredients. If ingredients are hard to find it’s never a good sign

Is teatoxing healthy?

Tea is healthy and teas are a big part of our programs at Foodtrainers. What is questionable is the notion that tea alone will result in your body looking like the bikini-clad (if that) women on the teatox websites. There are also a few ingredients in these teas that are no-nos even if they are in the same teabag as delicious decoys (ginger, cinnamon, gojis etc.).

Does tea in general assist in weight loss / detoxing? If so, which kind(s)?

There are certain teas I refer to as “metaboteas”. Actual research (gasp) has shown that teas such as green, matcha (a powdered green) and puEhr can provide a slight metabolic boost. 

Which ingredients are risky?

Let’s break it down into tea categories:

Uppers- green is great but I wouldn’t go guarana too often.

Debloaters/laxative- dandelion, fennel and ginger are safe and effective but senna (a laxative component) isn’t only habit forming, it’s dangerous when used regularly and the dangers extend well beyond diarrhea (I’m talking liver, kidney, intestinal function). 

Downers- many of the night teas are where the laxatives lie. I’m not sure I’d suggest sleep-inducing herbs such as valerian combined with poop-inducing products. If there is going to be any digestive drama, I’d prefer to wake up for it.

So, I’d skip any teas with senna. I totally get the desire to lose weight, debloat, and “go” but we can’t play regime-related roulette and risk our health. Go for the highest quality teas you can find. I love Panatea matcha, Bellocq for green and puEhr and Wakaya ginger tea.

Have you heard of teatoxing? Been tempted to try it? What’s your favorite tea to drink?
Any "burning" tea or weight loss questions? Email me at Lauren@foodtrainers.net

Fave new snack because I heart ranch (anything)

order beach bundles by 3/9 as we're headed away too

I took tennis lessons when I was younger. I don’t remember anything about the lessons or the instructor. I don’t even know exactly what age I was. I recall taking a taxi home so you’d think I was

a teen or preteen but that wasn’t necessarily the case in my family. I’m thinking 5^thgrade but who knows? I do remember something and that’s the snack I had after EVERY lesson. I had cool ranch Doritos and cranberry “juice”.  I still remember enjoying this combo in the comfort of the taxi and thinking it was the best snack ever.

While my Dorito days are done, to this day I  like ranch flavor. We mentioned in our newsletter today that there’s something trashy about ranch but I don’t care. Whether it’s the memories associated with it or just the flavor, I like it…a lot.

Recently, I was reunited with ranch. Organic Living who makes sprouted, organic, top-notch nuts sent us a sample of Ranch Cashews (combined with Buffalo almonds). I had a Buffalo wing phase too but that happened in high school for obvious reasons (if not obvious see Carolyn’s Friday post). I had the sample, ordered the Ranch nuts for the office and have had them in my nutcase every day since.

If you’re team ranch flavor, you must try these. We have them on their own or paired with our other favorite spring break essentials in the bundle pictured above.

Yum.

Any somewhat nasty items you enjoyed as a child? I’d love to hear.

This secret weapon is my favorite

I discovered this magic green concoction during the winter. I had purchased a few things from Anima Mundi but hadn't cracked the waxy seal on this one. Then it was December in Vermont and I needed a healthy boost and figured I'd try it. It was just what I needed and a POTENT debloater. I'm really excited to have this "magic elixir" as it's called in the Foodtrainers store.

A client also said "so you're not blogging over the summer?" It wasn't intentional but just so you know I wasn't entirely unproductive (even though I sort of was and need a break) here is a fun Summer Secret Weapon video Carolyn and I shot. We have a new format, please let us know what you think. We're always honest so feel free to be...but I think you'll like it. This one is a little long but we didn't want to sell you short on any of our Quick Fixes.
As the summer winds to an end (not just yet but you know) how are you feeling? Do you think it's more difficult to eat well in the summer or winter? Which secret weapon are you most excited about?
What do you think of the video?