#daily10method

A big weekend of food coma’s and family fun might leave you feeling a little guilty. But don’t worry, just pop these few tips into your post turkey routine. We promise you will feel a lot better about taking the weekend off your fitness routine!

TIP #1: Drink as much water as you can!

We recommend at least 8 glasses a day to keep you flushing out and cleansing those turkey dinner toxins. Try our favorite morning drink: Seva Morning Flush. Mix 1 cup of warm water, a few squirts of lemon juice and 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed.

This morning drink helps boost your metabolism, keeps you regular (hence “flush”) and keeps your skin in tip top condition.

TIP #2: Keep It Clean

When we have a cheat or two or three... (oops). We like to keep the rest of our weeks meal clean and healthy. This means stick to natural sugars, nothing refined or not natural and keep to lots of veggies and protein. Oh and try to keep away from boozy nights, keep it sober. ;) We also stick to the fist rule when portioning your meals; 1 fist grains, 1 fist protein, 2 fists veggies.

TIP #3: Sweat!!

Get moving. Cardio is important! Try to get at least 30 mins in a day and if you’re not sweating, pump up the intensity. You need to burn off those extra calories and sweat out those toxins. As your coaches we recommend that you get 30 - 60 mins of exercise in a day!

TIP#4: Keep Track

For us, when we are starting a new program we like to track our food. Try food journaling online via an app or keep it old school with the good old fashion pen and paper!!

Track what you eat and drink daily, it will keep you more aware of the choices you are making, the good and bad.

TIP #5: Get A Coach!

Can’t do it on your own? Having an expert design or coach you through a fitness program can really help you stay on track and accountable. Even if it’s just for a kick in the butt to get you back on track.

Try our Daily 10 Method and Seva Workouts and Classes! Click HERE!

So what are you waiting for!?  Don’t be a turkey, get off your butt and make up for your delicious  holiday cheats!!

Have a great week,

We love love love Thanksgiving! We save up all of our cheat days and like to enjoy a little 10% treaty from time to time. But it’s not just about the food, we love the idea of spending time with those we love and reflecting on what we are grateful for. 

Here are 5 things to follow to stay happy and healthy!

TIP#1: A Question of Gratitude...

Begin your day with one thing you are grateful for. Life can deal us a pretty crappy hand from time to time, but remembering the positive moments, people in your lives and things you do for yourself, are important.

Every morning Emilia and I ask ourselves one thing we are grateful for. When we are getting up at 430 am getting to open the gym, this is a must! It may seem like one less thing you want to do, but once you start you will see one answer can easily become a list. Your gratitude list can increase to a new goal. Our new goal number is 3. So before we get out of bed we ask!

TIP#2: Be Good To Yourself. Have a little Gratitude For You!

Treat yourself how you would like others to treat you. Most of the time we are harder on ourselves than those around us. Speak with love and admiration to yourself. It important to be good to yourself.

Start working on being more aware of how you talk to yourself. When you feel like you aren’t the way you want to look or not performing the way you want. STOP, and say one good thing to counteract how shitty you just were to your soul!

TIP#3: Keep A Positive Group Of Homies, Peeps, Friends Or Family Around!

We love our work and fitfam because we have built a community around ourselves that keeps us striving to be better and always helping us to be happier and healthier. We find that time is so precious and life is so busy, we need make sure that we have a positive and healthy environment around us.

So be conscious of who you hangout with... is it teaching you, helping your grow and making you a better you? Now take a moment to thank those people... gratitude!!!

TIP #4: Have FUN!!!

This is one of my favs! “Just enjoy life” is a line I always say when things get a bit to negative or serious. Try your best to be present and enjoy the moment. Don’t take things to seriously. Workouts can be tough and we often find ourselves not knowing if we are going to survive, or dragging ourselves to the gym. But it’s important! You have to do it, so find the light in that dark 60 min workout. We promise at the end of the hour, week or when you reach your goal, those moments when you were miserable won’t matter to you and you will look back wishing you weren’t such a brat.

TIP#5: Pay IT Forward

Give a little gratitude, positivity and love to others and let them know it. Like we said early, often people are just to hard on themselves. So at your next Thanksgiving dinner, take time to recognize the ones you love and care about.

We hope we have sent you positive vibes throughout our mad blogging and keyboarding skills. Enjoy your thanksgiving and make sure that turkey dinner is balanced with a little cardio. ;)

With much gratitude, your trainer ,

Kitchen Clean Out! Our Top Tips To A Quick And Easy Kitchen Clean Out!

We know cleansing of any kind can be daunting. Especially when purging your kitchen of some of your favourite most delicious guilty pleasures. So how do we get our kitchen clean out done quick, easy and pain free.

TIP #1 : Donate it, Chuck it, Cleanse Your Kitchen:

Here are some foods that have to go and can’t reenter that temple of a kitchen or body that you are beginning to create. We aren’t saying you can never eat them, just don’t have them at an arms reach!

Treaties: Your go to guilty pleasure. Things you can’t help but indulge in a little too much that cause you to binge, need to be removed please. Examples: Refined sugars, chocolate bars, candy, chips, sugary drinks, alcohol ;)

** If you have non perishables that must go, donate it your local food bank!

TIP #2:  Restock:

Make a healthy and happy grocery list. With things like...

Veggies and Fruits that you love are a must. Things to munch on and help you curb your cravings are so important.

Grab and Go Snacks: Healthy and happy snacks that are quick and easy. A few of our favs; veggies and hummus, quinoa crackers, nuts, berries, Seva snacks from our recipe book and challenge meal plans.

Plan your meals for the week so grocery shopping isn’t overwhelming. Check out recipes, write out the ingredients,  make a list and shop. Your grocery shop experience has just been cleaned out!

TIP #3: Organize Your Clean out ... Containers, Mason Jars and Reusable bags

Keep your refrigerator and cupboards organized with these options. We love glass containers. Easy to see what’s in them, to reheat, and they look so pretty!

Reusable mesh bags for your fruits and veggies are so great. These bags keep the drawers organized, making your food choices an easier decision.

Mason Jars are great to store soups, shakes, salads and oatmeal. We love making our overnight oats recipe in our jars and then grab them quick on our way out the door and to work!

TIP #4: Chop It Up  and Pack IT Up! Refrigeration Cleansing;

So you have containers and Jars. Now what to put it them. Prep your produce, protein and grains. Pick a day to prep, pre-chop your veggies, precook your proteins and precook your grains. Pop them into containers separately. That way you can take a portion from each one and create your meal. Keeps portions down and keeps making meals mid week easy!

TIP #5: Pick up a Seva Meal Plan or Recipe Book!

Having a quick guide to help make eating right easier makes navigating the kitchen less daunting. Go to www.sevafitness.ca and check out how you can clean out your kitchen and join our latest Eat Drink & Be Fit challenge this Fall for more tips!

We can’t wait to see your results!

Fruits 101

We get questions on fruit more than you would think. So here is a little run down from our Seva Nutrition Plan to help you figure out fruits!

Fruits are another form of carbohydrates because of the sugars that enter the body as you break down and digest fruit. Chalk full of vitamins, minerals, boost your energy, and can help your digestive system. Here are our tips on keep’n it fruity!

1) The best time to eat a bounty of fruit is either first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, or as a mid-morning snack - in between breakfast and lunch. It’s a good idea, to just eat more fruit at one time, whether it’s fruit salad, an apple or a fruit smoothie. 3-4 servings of fruit is a proper daily requirement, that’s 2 1/2 - 2 cups of fruit.

2) Try to avoid eating fruit close to bedtime as there’s plenty of sugar in fruit to spike up your energy and keep you up when you need your sleep.

3) If you are craving something sweet go for it though! Much better to have a piece of fruit than refined sugars.

Hope this helps your sweet tooth and your fruit whoas.

CAULIFLOWER MAC & CHEESE (GF) (V)

Macaroni what? Using cauliflower is an awesome and easy (did we mention nutritious) way of creating a healthy spin to this classic comfort meal. A definite must try!

What you will need:

6 cups cauliflower florets

1 Tbsp. organic, grass-fed butter

3 Tbsp. coconut flour

1 cup almond milk

1 cup cooking liquid reserved from cauliflower

1 clove of garlic, crushed & minced

2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of paprika

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

**Optional: 2 cups (about 8 oz.) cooked lean ground turkey meat (or preferred meat or vegetarian protein)

To Cook:

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring large pot of water to a boil, add cauliflower florets, and boil about 5-7 minutes, or until just tender. Meanwhile, mix together 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed and set aside. Drain cauliflower, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in garlic, almond milk, cooking liquid, and flour, stirring constantly. Cook 7-10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly.

Protein Bars 101

We are great fans of protein bars if we are in a bind for a quick snack, need a post workout pick me up or are craving a sweet treat. However, choosing the right bar can be tricky; Which ones are actually good for me? Is there too much sugar? Enough Protein? Or is this going to make me fat? (a question we hear often). So here is a rundown of 5 popular bars our members and friends ask about. Read up, learn a little and head over to your local health and supplement store.

1) The Lara Bar: It’s organic, they taste good, and they have the grab and go option. Dislike: Low in protein, high in sugar. Favourite flavour is coconut cream. We say leave this to a treat day if you’re craving dessert. It is more of a fruit nut bar… less of a protein bar. No additives, all natural, and meant to be a snack.

2) Cliff Bar: So easy to purchase and buy in bulk. You get what you pay for. Loaded with sugar and full of lots of additives. We aren’t a fan.

3) Vega Bar: Tastes great if you like plant based protein.  Awesome because it’s hard to find a vegan protein bar that has that much protein in it. It’s a complete meal, no artificial additives and they are gluten free. They can be a little higher in sugar content, and calorie. But don’t be to distracted by the calories because they are healthy, happy calories.

4) Quest Bar: We love the taste because there is so much variety in flavours. High protein, high in fibre, low sugar. We just want to eat a bite talking about it. Very low amounts of sugar alcohol which is hard to find in a bar. However a few more than a natural bar (like lets say vega). This is our go to bar.

5) Luna: Another great gluten free option. A bar that caters to women and offers so many vitamins and minerals that women need in their daily diet. They are a little lower on the protein front then a few of the other bars we have talked about and use soy as a protein source. They do tend to use a few more additives, but can be a great choice to try and use from time to time to mix up your selection. They are meant to be a snack, not a meal replacement.

6) Make your own. It’s easier than you think, more economical and you know what’s going in them!! We have a Seva Protein Bar you can make from home. You can find it HERE or from our Seva Nutrition Plan & Recipe Book.

So there you have it. Some of our recommendations on what we like, look for and want in a bar. Share with us what your favourite nutritional bar is! We would love to hear how you fuel!!

Your Trainers,