Summer is on the way and it's time to get back outside! I love the feel of the sun on my skin. I love to be outside, walking, sprinting, kayaking, paddle-boarding, or just sitting on a beach. Based on the many social media Spring Break pictures I’ve seen the last couple of weeks, I know I’m not alone in this!

But is it safe to pursue this love? The sun has been vilified for an awfully long time. Rightfully so... when abused. I'm guilty of this abuse and have the sunspots to prove it. But many of us have forgotten that it's also a critical component to health and longevity. Connecting with nature and breathing fresh air has become foreign to us, as we spend much of our time indoors.

Consider this. Regular moderate sun exposure is not linked to cancer, but lack of vitamin D is linked to many, many avoidable conditions, including poor COVID outcomes.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information,  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/,...

Want to take control of your energy level? The #1 secret is hiding in your kitchen! Bottom line, you must start in the kitchen. Read that again.

As the saying goes, "You can't out-exercise a bad diet." You also can't out-sleep a bad diet. If you're tired of being tired and are ready to learn how to feed your family delicious, nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory food that supports long-term health, keep reading!

Consider this, what if what you're putting in your body is what's draining you of energy? How confident are you that your kitchen is set up to help you take on the world? Go ahead, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10.

I have a free guide to share with you. You need this, especially if you rated yourself a 7 or less! Properly stocking your kitchen can be SO confusing.

Set your kitchen up to support your health and energy by having all the right ingredients at your fingertips. You’ll be grateful that the wrong ingredients aren’t accessible when you're feeling...

The questions and comments I’m hearing are very telling. I think we all need one!! Myself included!

Some are feeling that progress is so, so slow. Some are struggling with the balance of health, kids, and work. Many are ready for warmer weather. Most are sick of the restrictions on our movement and freedom. Where the heck do we start?!

Getting healthier and stronger is a process. Not one and done. You are never ‘there’ or ‘done’. Sorry to break that to you. It’s a lifestyle.

A LIFESTYLE YOU WILL LOVE!

Belief + Action = Results

Belief - Yep, as always, we start with mindset.

• What’s your why? If your why isn’t big enough, progress will be slow. Is it to prevent disease, live long and healthy, be able to keep up with your grandchildren, look good naked, feel better? Know your why.
• Can you see it? Do you believe it? Present tense visualization is incredibly powerful. Practice seeing it every morning when you wake up and every night...

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be bland or boring. In fact, there’s such an incredible variety of fruits and veggies available at the grocery store that there’s never a reason to tire of your meal plan! We’re not talking specialty health food stores that carry exotic options you’ll never actually try. We’re talking about the regular old grocery store where you normally shop!

Why does “eating the rainbow” matter to your health? Because fruits and veggies are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals we need for good health. Color doesn’t just add visual variety to our fruits and veggies, it also represents different families of healing compounds in the fruits and veggies we eat!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 87 percent of Americans aren't getting enough servings of vegetables and 76 percent don't get enough fruit each day. We can turn those numbers around by...

Flexibility is more than just showing off tricky yoga poses on Instagram or proving to your kids that you could do the splits in high school. It affects many hidden aspects of daily life, from decreased pain to improved strength. Whether you’ve been stretching for years or you’re brand new to this part of your fitness journey, flexibility is key to reaching your full physical potential. Learn five ways to improve your flexibility!

Having a full range of motion is key to moving properly in your workouts and in life. Range of motion is defined as the full movement potential of a joint, usually its range of flexion and extension. When you have a limited range of motion, it can actually cause a number of problems for you, and we’re here to help!

How and 5 Ways Here

In Health,

Coach Nanette

I get many requests for my Bone Broth recipe. A friend once told me she could taste the love. My recipe has evolved over the years. This version is clearly the winner. Time to get it out there!

To help explain the nutritional benefits of bone broth, I'll quote from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook (every kitchen must have this book); “Broth made from meat and animal bones is another good source of sodium, chloride and iodine as well as magnesium, potassium and important trace minerals. Broth made from fish carcasses and fish heads is rich in additional substances that nourish the thyroid gland. Properly made, broth is also a source of gelatin which research has shown to be an excellent aid to digestion and assimilation of cooked foods. The food provider with an eye for nutrition, as well as good taste, will make these broths a staple in her repertoire.”

I haven’t tried broth with fish carcasses, but bone broth is certainly a staple in our house....

When adopting a healthier lifestyle in hopes of losing weight, in the form of body fat, the 2 most popular ways to track progress are;

1. Body weight

2. Body measurements

They both have their place in monitoring progress, however, in my opinion, one method is hands down the best option. Here are my take and recommendation.

Body Weight

Measuring body weight on a scale wins the convenience factor because scales are available most anywhere. But it’s also the most inaccurate because it takes everything into account, including what you just ate or drank, what you’re wearing, your fluid retention, and your bones, fat & muscle.

And lastly, it seems to be the most misused. Some people get downright obsessive and weigh themselves multiple times throughout the day and think they have gained or lost based on the reading. I even heard of a woman who packed her scale when she traveled. Now that’s obsessive.

It’s near impossible to gain or lose a pound of fat in a few...

All fermented foods are pickles, but not all pickled foods are ferments. What? This can be confusing because both are referred to as pickles. The term pickle refers to any fruit or vegetable that is preserved in an acidic medium; a salt brine for fermenting or an acid for pickling. Fermenting is simply a form of pickling, so they both really are pickles.

I love both, and I prepare both. My method choice is based on the goal of the product. However, I do choose one over the other more often. Here’s the low-down.

These food preservation techniques have stood the test of time. Humans have been eating pickles for many thousands of years. For added incentive, you can easily make them at home for a fraction of the cost of store-bought. Personally, I think homemade is better.

Read labels if purchasing from a store because most have added yellow dye. Why? I have no idea. It isn’t necessary because they are colorful and beautiful just as they are.

For fermenting, the brine can be...