Category Fitness

Fall fitness time

For every season we need to make adjustments in our routines, cycles, etc in every area of our lives. That means when it comes to fitness and working out, it’s good idea to make changes for the season too. This is even more true when you start factoring in ageing, etc. Fall fitness for women over 40 makes a lot of sense especially if you want to avoid injuries!  Avoiding injuries while working out, should always be your goal if you want to reap the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Fitness through the seasons

We need to adapt our lifestyles and routines to each new season during the year. Especially if you want to truly enjoy the year and all it has to offer. Granted, we can’t account for every eventuality, but we can make smart decisions on how to move forward. When it comes to women over 40, we’ve got other things to consider such as bone and hormonal health. This also impacts how and what types, of exercises we engage in. Keeping these fall fitness for women over 40 in mind, is my way helping women stay healthy and active 365 days a year

Things to keep in mind during the fall season

With the fall comes the usual cold and flu season as well as other potential community health infections and illnesses. It is also a time when our stress and anxiety get elevated, seasonal affective disorder kicks in (colder and northern regions of the world), etc. As we get older, we can become more vulnerable to respiratory and other illness and injury. When you consider hormonal fluctuations, shifts in dietary needs, the potential for loss of mobility and a decline in over all health can increase dramatically.

Exercising and staying fit the right way

Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to exercise and you don’t need to be a fitness guru to figure it out either! First off, never abruptly jump into a vigorous and or high intensive workout program / routine. That is one of the best ways to get injured and completely sideline all of your fitness goals. Instead, consult your healthcare provider, fitness coach and get your fitness assessment. If you already have a good idea of your own fitness level, you’re already a quarter of the way to elevating your health and fitness.

One easy recommendation

As a women’s self-care and health coach for women over 40, I always recommend starting out light and slow to start. Once you’ve got your routine planned and in place, it’s easy to increase your intensity and amount of weight training.  You can read more about some of my favorite exercises for women over 40 when you click here. I always say, “let your body be your guide”! This is the main reason why I stress the importance of selfcare because self-care forces you to tune into the needs of your body. Self-care also teaches you body awareness and connectivity. If you’ve ever had the sense that “something” is “off” in your body, then you know what I’m talking about.

My 5 favorite tips for staying fit and fab this fall

1. If you’ve been off of your exercise routine for more than 2 weeks, don’t restart your program with high intensity/ high impact exercises. Instead, start light and focus on exercises that hone in on mobility and flexibility.

2. Always check in with your healthcare provider, health coach, or fitness coach after a long hiatus from working out. It will help you avoid injuries that can affect your long term health and mobility.

3. Get a workout / fitness plan that is geared toward taking advantage of the fall season. For instance, fall is the perfect time for long walks and hikes because it’s neither to hot or too cool.

Last but not least

4. Fall is also one of those times of the year, when you want to make sure you are taking the right supplements to help support your immune system and overall wellness. While supplements can never be a substitute for whole food, it is necessary to add natural supplements, herbs, spices, etc that support and optimise your body functions.

5. Never underestimate the power of a good stretching and mobility routine. Even as I say this to you, I’m always reminding myself to do the same. Frequent and constant stretching routines (i.e. yoga, pilates, etc) will save you from injury and misery. Not only that, one of the downsides of ageing (in general), is the loss of mobility and flexibility. You want to stay toned, avoid aches and pains associated with arthritis and so forth? Start your yoga and or Pilates practice in addition to weight training to maintain your active lifestyle!

Final thoughts

Start thinking of “ageing” as the “use it or lose it” principle on steroids, and less like it’s the twilight years of your life. I’m learning that we all have an expiration date that is unspecified and far from guaranteed. Every day in the news, I hear of some young person who’s been struck down in the prime of her/his/their life while others make it well past their 90s. Bottom line? We all live in the dash ”-“ of our time here on earth so why not live it fabulously and with purpose?

Self-care and self-love will help you achieve all of this and more, if you are willing to embrace the journey and gain the courage to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Plus, anything worth having is always worth the work to get there. As for the internalised socio-cultural patriarchy (and often misogyny) that women should learn to “age gracefully”, I call b.s. on that! We are all entitled to live life to the fullest and part of that means honouring your body, and giving it what it needs to thrive. You get to decide!

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All about that New Year resolution

Nothing says New Year like a gym run, right? But knowing how unlikely that is right now, why not make your selfcare that much more powerful? By incorporating your weight goals with selfcare, you can seriously up your game! Now, it becomes weight loss selfcare strategies rather than just one or the other! There was a time that I thought selfcare was the same as getting fit, losing unhealthy weight, etc. The truth is, it’s a lot more than that!

What weight loss isn’t

Remember, weightloss and selfcare are two different things. The same can be said for fitness vs selfcare. Let me put it another way. Selfcare is or should be the foundation on which all of “these” things rest. In other words, when you selfcare the right way, losing weight, getting fit, eating right, etc seamlessly fits into your daily routine because they are resting on the right foundation. In short, weight loss is more a by-product of a healthy lifestyle where you are intentional about the foods you put into your body, get active, etc. To get it right you need weight loss selfcare strategies to help you sustain “this” new way of living!

More on selfcare

Like I mentioned earlier, selfcare is the foundation on which you build a healthy lifestyle. So, once you have a clear and consistent selfcare routine in place, everything else follows without seeming like a chore or overwhelming. For example, when you set aside time for yourself, you are literally creating the space for you to tend to your own needs. Then, you decide what you want to include in your selfcare plan that will achieve your goals. In basic terms, selfcare is actively engaging with your own health and wellness. That includes mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. Selfcare is advocating and giving attention to what you need as a human being, regardless of what others think about it! You can read more about selfcare and empowerment in an earlier post I wrote. You can also read one of my favorites, 14 ways to love yourself!

Where to start

Before you rush out there to buy a subscription to some online fitness program, join a gym (be careful out there), think about who you are doing “this” for. In other words, make sure this is something for you and no one else. Next, be ready to commit to it even when you don’t feel motivated! I’d also recommend getting some help or guidance from a health coach (i.e. support, etc) to get strategies and a program that fits your needs and goals. I always have a complimentary clarity session with all of my potential clients. Even if you choose to do it alone, you need to have a plan that’s easy to stick to.

A few helpful strategies

1. A great place to start is by creating your own selfcare journal. In it, you can pour out all of your frustrations, concerns, goals, etc down on paper without judgment. Also, with your mind clear of all the stuff in your head, you can make better decisions about your health and wellness needs.
2. Create a food journal (you can get a copy of my selfcare food journal right here).
3. Prayer and or meditation are great ways to get in touch with yourself spiritually. They also help alleviate stress as well as anxiety. Start with as few as 5 minutes in a quiet area each day, and gradually increase the time as it becomes part of your routine.
4. Remove yourself from toxic relations, connections, etc. Let’s face it. Life is too short to allow your mental and emotional health to take a beating from negative and toxic people. Let this new year be the year that you cut all of these toxic cords!
5. Next, you must include some “sort” of vigorous physical as one of selfcare strategies-aka, exercise. I’ve found the most sustainable exercise regimes are those that naturally align with your interests. Since I love martial arts and hiking, these are my go-to forms for exercise.

Bottom line

The hardest part of this journey is actually getting started and this is where having the right support will make the difference. Whether you sign up with a health coach, online support group, etc, you’ll need one of these to help you get started and stay on track! While I don’t typically offer discounts for my services as a health coach, these unprecedented times mean paying it forward. In that spirit of community, I’m some of my premium empowered selfcare and coaching programs right here!

About the author

Tonye Tariah is a Holistic Health Coach, and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog. She helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her belief is that “the cookie-cutter method only works for cookies”. Meaning, she helps each woman in a way that is unique to each her situation. By doing this, she’s better able to help women transform their lives from the inside out. Her ultimate goal is to help women become healthy and empowered through the transformative self-care journey!

Staying fit and healthy through the holiday season

We all know how busy the holiday season can get especially when you’ve got multiple tasks to juggle. Let’s not even talk about trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle! This is why I’ve pulled together 5 women’s fitness and self-care tips to get you through the holidays!

The holidays can be super emotional around this time of year, given what we’re all dealing with globally. But we can’t allow our health and wellbeing to suffer because our bodies need all the support we can give them. This is true particularly for women, with multi-tasking and trying to stay on budget. A lot of us or our neighbors have lost jobs, fallen sick with, lost loved ones, etc.

What can we do to stay healthy (even during a pandemic)?

Even if we feel like we have no control over what’s happening locally and globally, there are a ton of things we can do to not just stay healthy, but make our lives more meaningful and infused with joy this holiday season. You don’t need a lot of money or complicated skills to do a lot of little things that will make a huge difference for the mind-body-soul connection.

With these 5 women’s fitness and self-care tips, you’ll be able to carve out time for yourself without getting overwhelmed. Part of being there for your family means being there for yourself when you give your needs the attention they deserve.

With that in mind here are a few powerful tips you can get and stay in “shape” this season

These are just a few tried and true solutions I’ve used over the years for myself as well as clients. The key takeaway is that you are the only one who can make these changes in your life. No one can or will do this for you so if you want to get healthy and stay that way even in tough times, do the work.

1. Start your day with a 5-10 minute “self-check” session. Lay in bed or sit in a quiet place and just take stock of how your body feels, your mood, and your general mindset. This will help ground you as well as keep you from stressing out at the start of your day.

2. Get your body moving (formal exercise or just a quiet walk). When you get your body in motion it triggers the release of those “feel-good” chemicals in your brain, releases tension, and increases focus. It’s good for your cardiovascular system as well as your mental health.

3.  Take 10-15 mins to meditate and set your intentions for the day. This allows you to focus on the activities that will give positive results rather than the negative. There is a lot of truth to the phrase “create your happy”. When you direct your thoughts and energy to those things that yield “good” outcomes, etc you’re less likely to get stressed out and overwhelmed. You feel more aligned, in control as well as focused on the things you want to achieve.

Now for the internal

4. Drink a cup of daily detox tea, water, or smoothie. If you need a few ideas, start with my super green smoothie right here!  Also, this recovery smoothie is awesome as both a  post-workout and a detox smoothie. The ingredients have anti-inflammatory as well as nutritional benefits. This helps to cleanse the body of harmful toxins, by-products of chemical processes in the body as well as support your body’s natural self-healing abilities.

5. Substitute healthy ingredients for “unhealthy” ingredients in your favorite fall and winter must-have meals. That also includes “detoxing” your fridge and pantry so that you have budget-friendly healthy meal options. If you’re  not sure where to begin, grab my FREE Pantry Detox Gude GUIDE HERE

Also, for a complete Introductory Produce, Shopping Guide grab a copy HERE!!

Final thoughts

Be grateful for those little things in our lives that create beauty in their simplicity.  Also, stop focusing on the things that are beyond your control and literally choose joy and positivity instead of the negative. This will also help you feel better physically and less drained energetically. Remember, you’ve got this and you are not alone!

About the author

Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog. She helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her belief is that “the cookie-cutter method only works for cookies”. This means that she helps each woman in a way that is unique to each woman. By doing this, she’s better able to help them transform their lives from the inside out. Her ultimate goal is to help women become healthy and empowered through the transformative self-care journey!

Why Selfcare is difficult for women

I know how difficult it is to find time to actually practice self-care. Like most women around the world, each day is usually a constant balancing act of taking care of other people, their expectations, and a whole slew of obligations! Regardless of what corner of the world we live in, selfcare is difficult for women to varying degrees.

The daily reality for the average woman

There are few women in the real world, who can say they are always able to make time for their self-care needs and without the guilt and burden of constantly trying to live up to the expectations of others (including society). For every woman that has struggled to break free from that cycle of guilt around making time for their own self-care and their needs in general, it really is “all in your head!”.  Yes, selfcare is difficult for women-especially if you’re trying to first meet the needs and expectations of other people, etc.

What selfcare is not

Let’s be clear, doing for both family and community is something we should all aspire to but that is not to say that one should neglect one’s own wellbeing. Historically, women have had to choose between their own self-care and the needs of others. That’s in addition to the demands made by society and culture.

A bit of history about the self-care movement 

The self-care movement was birthed during the anti-war and civil rights movements. It has it’s origins in the medical sphere as both physicians and academicians were looking at strategies to mitigate the effects of high-stress work environments on healthcare workers. Later on, it transformed into a broader movement as it became politicized during the civil rights and women’s movement of the ’60s and early ’70s.

With that in mind here are a few quick tips to help you begin to break the cycle

1. Start saying “NO”! I know it sounds easy, but I also know how difficult it is to do this when you have been conditioned and silenced by society for so long. Like most women, I put my needs, desires, and health far below that of family and other obligations. I also watched women in my family and lineage suffer the same fate. Experience has shown me that the only way to break the cycle is to start with the word “NO”.  Believe it or not, this one word contains a lot of power and has the effect of shaking up the status quo and activates a place in your core that has long been silent and ineffectual.

2. Know what it means to have boundaries and create them (if you don’t know).  It starts with self-discovery and identifying what is in alignment with your inner self versus what is in violation of those core beliefs and or elements.

3. Stop asking for permission to self-care. Again, sounds pretty straight forward but it will surprise you to find out how much resistance you encounter when you begin to assert yourself and enforce your boundaries!

4. Take ownership of your entire self (i.e. self-acceptance) including the good, the bad and the ugly. After all, if you don’t accept yourself, you can not expect anyone else to do so either.

What you can expect on this journey:

As I mentioned earlier, be prepared for some push-back when you begin to use your voice and as you put your boundaries in place. That being said, the freedom and level of transformation are more than worth it!

What you will gain this journey:

One of the most meaningful gains from this process is empowerment. Freedom from self-sabotage and servitude to other people’s expectations is no small accomplishment. Especially when it means regaining your power and ability to speak your truth without the fear of being judged or shamed into silence. Click this link to find out more about how to break the cycle of O.P.E!

Before you go

At the end of the day, if you don’t value your health and wellbeing, no one else will. That’s the harsh truth of the matter. If you’re struggling to come up with good selfcare ideas in the midst of this global “lockdown, read  “14 Ways To Love Yourself 365 Days A Year”14 Ways To Love Yourself This Valentine’s Day

About the author

Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog. She helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her belief is that “the cookie-cutter method only works for cookies”. This means that she helps each woman in a way that is unique to each woman. By doing this, she’s better able to help them transform their lives from the inside out. Her ultimate goal is to help women become healthy and empowered through the transformative self-care journey!

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Summer is the perfect time to detox from processed foods and unhealthy habits and nutritious does not mean boring or unappetizing. As a matter of fact, some of the yummiest desserts are made from fruits like this awesome tropical summer sorbet! Plus, all the ingredients are low in fat, no processed sugars, and dairy free!

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Summer is the time when you feel like shedding the excesses in life and move on to new things! One healthy way to do this is to detox your diet and replace processed additive-laden foods with healthy and nutrient dense meal options.  I love my desserts as much as the next girl, but I’ve found and created healthy alternatives that are big on taste, flavor as well as nutritious. My tropical summer sorbet is the perfect dessert for a hot summer day and it’s satisfying and packs a healthy punch.

This summer sorbet is filled with frozen fruit, almond milk, and coconut water you’ll give your body and your skin a healthy boost of nutrients plus stay hydrated in the summer sun! Great skin and a healthy waistline don’t happen overnight but you can almost guarantee both when you color your plate with fruits and veggies.

Tropical Summer Sorbet

My latest summer recipe is rich in vitamin C, K, antioxidants, flavonoids, minerals, and electrolytes all in one 6oz cup! It’s amazing how much goodness you can pack into one serving when you decide to put your health first. Also, if you really want to kickstart your healthy weight loss journey try my 10 Day Vegan Detox Program so that you can look better and feel great, without the pressure!

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Tropical Sorbet Ingredients:

Making smoothies and sorbets are easy and simply require a few fresh or frozen ingredients plus a little bit of creativity.

1. 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries

2. 1/2 medium banana (ripe)

3. 1/4 cup of cubed frozen mango

4. 1/4 cup of frozen pineapple

5. 1/4 cup of coconut water

6. 1/2 almond milk

7. 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Next, I like to combine frozen ingredients so I don’t have to use ice and it’s ready to serve as soon as you scoop it out of the blender. This is a good idea if you’re on a budget but you want to make sure you’re adding a good amount of fruits and veggies to your diet.  Once you have all of your ingredients simply blend together in a high-powered blender.

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Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads, helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her approach is “the cookie cutter method only works for cookies,” meaning she helps each person in a unique way to transform their lives from the inside out. She’s not about just helping you lose weight quickly, she’s about elevating your life from the inside out. She’s about changing your habits and helping you fall in love with yourself so you can live a life with pure joy.

Her favorite words are “helping you look better, feel great, without the pressure!”

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Aging gracefully?

Very few women want to age gracefully these days and I’m one of them! Forget the old stereotypes of crows feet, ”dress your age”,  the 40-year slump, and so forth. I’m also a firm believer in self-care and self-love and THAT means doing those healthy ”things”, that stave off premature aging, weight gain, and the slowing down of my metabolism. There are a number of ways we can increase our strength and youthfulness and that’s through exercise, diet and excellent selfcare! I’ve got 5 exercises for women over 40 that are simple, straight forward and easy to do.

The fab 5 exercises

Today we’re talking about some of the top 5 exercises for women over the age of 40. The truth is, we’re ALL aging and breaking down-yes even the little ones! This is the natural life cycle in nature but that doesn’t mean we have no way to slow down the aging process and in some instances, reverse it. I’m all in for anything (healthy that is)that will help fight signs of aging on all fronts.

As you know, I’m also a skincare freak and I have a ton of helpful tips and tricks to help you get fit, get and maintain the best version of your skin, and more!  But this post isn’t about that! For some of my top secret anti-aging remedies read up on ”The 5 Skincare Ingredients You Need On Your DIY Face Masks”.

The reality of it all

Exercise, diet, detox and “de-stress” can both slow and reverse the effects of aging as well as combat the effects of the environment. I don’t know why so many women are afraid of lifting weights, but this is one of the surest ways to increase muscle tone, tighten the skin and increase bone density!

A combination of cardio and “real” weight training go a long way to increase your physical strength, silhouette and muscle tone. Want toned tight arms and legs? Weight training, baby! The realities of the aging process make it even more important to hone in on those workouts that get results. This is why I choose to highlight these top 5 exercises for women over 40 everywhere!

With that in mind, let’s get cracking! The first exercise that I call “pain in the butt” (because it works) is:

1. Squats. Squats help build your leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves), aids in burning more fat, as it is one of the most time-efficient ways to burn a lot of calories.

2. Planks. The plank is one of the better workouts for core conditioning but them too works your glutes and hamstrings, supports proper posture, and ameliorates balance. As someone who hates doing crunches, planks are a godsend! Plus, your risk of injuring your neck is lower and this works more than just those core muscles. These are a great exercise for women over 40 who want well-defined abs and a strong core.

My all time favorites

3. Lunge. Before you start moaning girl, just let me tell you, lunges are a girl’s best friend! They’re not just for twenty-somethings, lunges are for every woman! The lunge aides in sculpting, strengthening and toning your legs and glutes. They also improve the flexibility of the hips. While they are uncomfortable, lunges will quickly get your butt lifted and sculpted if you’ll commit to it.

4. Burpees. These are a full body strength training exercise within every rep. Not only that you will work your arms, chest, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and abdominal muscles.

5. Dynamic plank.  Like the previous exercises, the dynamic plank is an excellent way to isolate the core area without crunches. I’m no fan of crunches (even though I do break down do them on occasion). I always recommend planks if you’ve got issues related to the neck area. Not only does this exercise strengthen your core, it also works your chest and shoulders.

What to keep in mind here

While there’s no magic pill to help sculpt the body you want, these 5 exercises will get you well on your way to looking better and looking better without the pressure.

Having said all of THAT, any good fitness guru will tell you that without a healthy diet, you still won’t get the results you want!

So for those who are still struggling with where to begin, grab my FREE Pantry Detox Gude GUIDE HERE

Also, to help you fill your fridge with produce that’s free of toxic chemicals get the complete Introductory Produce, Shopping Guide grab a copy HERE!!

About the author

Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog, helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her approach is “the cookie cutter method only works for cookies,” meaning she helps each person in a unique way helps them transform their lives from the inside out. She’s not about helping you lose weight quick. She’s about changing your habits and helping you fall in love with yourself so you can live a life with pure joy.

Why I love it

This is my number 1 DIY all natural face mask because it helps fight lines, wrinkles and dark spots. It’s loaded with potent ingredients to help naturally fight against the effects of environmental pollution, aging, acne, and acne related scarring.

I can’t say enough about DIY anti-aging face masks and other skincare creations!

Why you need to add a face mask to your skincare routine

The environment does enough harm to our skin without using skincare products that are loaded with toxins and other mystery ingredients. While it’s all good to use skincare products that are all-natural, diet also matters! When I was in my teens and 20’s my mom always went on about making sure I eat healthy so that my skin will be healthy!

She was so spot on! This is especially important for women as we are constantly dealing with hormonal cycles. I really began to tune into this when I start led having some serious health and reproductive issues. Even to this day, I regret that I didn’t start early enough. I truly believe that I could have done more good for my reproductive health and fitness if I had played closer attention to the research that was coming out at the time. Live and learn right?

My skincare story

My DIY anti-aging face mask creations are based on my own experience and that of family and friends. I really encourage you to try your hand at making your own DIY anti-aging face mask and skincare so you know what works for you and with ingredients, you can trust.

The following DIY anti-aging mask uses fresh avocado as a base because of its unique properties. I’ve also used greek yogurt as a base in some of my other DIY skincare.

What you’ll need

This is the list of ingredients you will need for this DIY anti-aging face mask. It will also make enough for approximately three applications.

1. Half of one ripe medium organic avocado
2. One tablespoon of organic turmeric powder
3. One teaspoon of Ceylon powder (this is the best variety to use)
4. Half of one teaspoon of jojoba oil (use the cold-pressed organic variety)
5. One and a half tablespoons of organic raw honey
6. One glass mixing bowl (don’t use plastic)

How to make my DIY anti-aging face mask

Combine all of these ingredients using a hand mixer, processor or mash with a wish or clean wooden spoon. I prefer to use a stainless steel metal whisk to whip everything together and to make sure they are quickly incorporated into my DIY anti-aging face mask.

A quick note

Since this is handmade and has perishable ingredients, this recipe should be kept in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. I keep mine for about a week but no longer than a week and a half.  Remember that there are no preservatives in this mixture so you need to refrigerate your DIY mask. However, I’ve noticed that when I add a few drops of tea tree essential oil, my DIY face masks last longer since the tea tree oil is anti-microbial.

I have so many other recipes waiting to join this one but this is one of my favorite DIY anti-aging face masks. Whenever I make a new creation I always try to make sure I use my must-have ingredients included in most of my recipes.

About the author 

Tonye Tariah is a Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog. She helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her approach is “the cookie cutter method only works for cookies”! For her, that means she helps each woman in a unique way; helping them transform their lives from the inside out. She’s not about helping you lose weight quick. She’s about changing your habits and helping you fall in love with yourself so you can live a life with pure joy.

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Whether you’re an athlete, gym rat or just someone who wants to optimize their fitness and health, certain nutrients are key to maintaining a healthy body and supporting the body’s ability to heal itself and stave off illness and disease. While this is by no means a complete list, here are 5 key nutrients that you need in your diet in order to optimize your health and fitness.

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There are no shortcuts to achieving optimal fitness and health (sustainable and long-term, at least). The best way to optimize your performance and by extension your fitness is through a well-balanced diet. 5 key nutrients that will help you meet those goals are potassium, magnesium, protein, B-vitamins, and anti-oxidants.

1. Potassium (Dietary potassium): Is a mineral that is critical for the proper functions of all body systems. We hear a lot about potassium and potassium-rich foods, but most people don’t realize how critical it is to sustaining life. In particular, Major organs like the heart, kidneys, etc require potassium in order to work normally. For the most part, people who eat a healthy and balanced diet typically get enough potassium without having to resort to supplements.

In general, it’s never a good idea to be chronically deficient in key dietary minerals like potassium and magnesium. As a matter of fact, low potassium is associated with a risk of success conditions as arthritis, high blood pressure, and infertility.

For those experiencing low potassium, your health care provider can recommend anything from changes in diet to supplements, etc.  From a nutritional stance, the demands of athletic sports and intense exercise generally contribute to a significant loss of salt, potassium, and magnesium in the sweat.

   2. Magnesium: As I pointed out earlier, magnesium plays a vital role in maintaining normal cellular function and bone health. When it comes fitness, performance and actually seeing “results”, balance is key. Too little or too much of any one mineral never bodes well for your health. In a lot of instances, a deficiency in one nutrient can hinder the proper function of another. For instance, magnesium in combination with phosphorous plays an essential role in energy metabolism.

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3. Protein: Yes, we’ve all our doctors and dieticians talk about it, but how often are we guilty of not having either enough of it or we’re consuming poor quality proteins in our daily diet?  In case you missed it, protein is a critical building block for building muscle, repair tissue, and is an important component of all cells within the body. Also, protein is required for the synthesis of various hormones, enzymes, etc.

Want to lose weight and keep it off? You really need good quality protein as a regular part of each meal. Plus, if you’re not into animal protein, there are plenty of plant-based sources that are equally good (i.e.beans and other legumes)!

4. B-vitamins: Include thiamin, riboflavin folate, B6 and the more well-known vitamin B12, are all required for the proper function and development of the brain, nerves, blood cells, heart, etc. When you’re deficient in these nutrients bad things happen. Anemia, memory loss, fatigue, weakness, and digestive problems are just some of the signs one can expect to see. Typical sources of these vitamins are fish, meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. For those who have adopted a vegan lifestyle, other sources can be found in dietary supplements or food sources that have been fortified.

However, fat-soluble vitamins like B12 can only be found in animal sources so a strict vegetarian or vegan must have foods either fortified or you need to use dietary supplements.

5. Anti-oxidants: They include but are not limited to, some vitamins ( beta-carotene and vitamins E and C), some minerals (i.e. selenium), and flavonoids (a diverse group of phytonutrients found in most fruits and vegetables). The best sources of antioxidants are fruits and vegetables. Just in case you’re wondering, flavonoids can also be found in red wine and teas.

Antioxidants are powerhouses of goodness and their benefits cover a broad spectrum of health benefits from combating inflammatory responses (i.e. workout recovery), antioxidative stress (i.e. cell damage brought on by free radicals).

The bottom line here is that nutrition is a key portion of a healthy lifestyle and is especially important when it comes down to optimizing your fitness and performance. So the next time you leave the gym, finish a sweat session at home or in the great outdoors, remember to fuel your body with a balanced plate of wholesome goodness. If you’re just getting started on the right path, remember that your body needs these 5 key nutrients in order to get that ball rolling!

Also, realize that nutrition is just part of the equation. The other part of this actually involves the exercise component whether you do it at home or in a gym, the point is to get your body in motion on a consistent basis.

As a matter of fact, make sure you take a good hard look at what’s inside your fridge and or pantry and give it a good detox for the new you in the New Year!

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Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog, helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her approach is “the cookie cutter method only works for cookies,” meaning she helps each person in a unique way helps them transform their lives from the inside out. She’s not about helping you lose weight quick. She’s about changing your habits and helping you fall in love with yourself so you can live a life with pure joy.

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Before you embark on that “fitness journey”, there are two things you need to ask yourself: 1. Why am I doing this? 2. What do I want to gain by the end of this process? (what’s your purpose). If you’re still scratching your heads on that one let me help you by giving you the definition of both “why” and “purpose”. The word why refers to a reason or explanation for carrying out a certain action, while the word purpose means a fixed design or outcome; a fixed intention.

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We’re all guilty of jumping into things without fully understanding or gathering enough information before we embark on a course of action.  This varies from person to person but my point is,  really think about why you need to do this otherwise, it just becomes an exercise in futility!

Two questions you need to ask yourself before you sign up for a personal trainer are:
1. Why am I doing this?
2. What is my purpose for taking this journey?

A lot of times we set ourselves up for failure because we either don’t ask the right questions or we don’t have an objective in mind. As the saying goes, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there!”

Plus, are you doing all of “this” for the right reasons; in other words,  what’s the driving force behind this decision? Once, again this brings me back to the whole notion of digging deep inside to figure what it is that you really want for yourself and is it in alignment with your needs as an individual. For instance, if I say I’m going to lose weight simply because I’m tired of feeling judged by other “people”, is not going to keep me motivated or determined to achieve the end goal. As a matter of fact, it’s more likely to frustrate and depress me and ultimately leaving me worse off.

Also, if you’re struggling to find time for yourself (i.e. self-care ), you’re less likely to make informed decisions about your fitness and health. Afterall, when you put yourself at the bottom of your list of priorities, you’re out of gas by the time you get to figure out your own needs, a.k.a. clueless!

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Having said of all of that, there is nothing wrong with signing up for a gym membership or even going so far as to hire a personal trainer. This is especially true if you’re not sure where to start or you’ve  been off your routine for a long time (form trumps number reps every time). All of this ties into your needs and vision for this entire transformation process and why it’s so important that you ask yourself the hard questions.

At the end of the day, you can have all of the support, latest tech, and gadgets but if you are embarking on this journey for the wrong reasons you will fail. You will fail not because it was too hard or you lacked the will power, you will fail because you didn’t have a clearly defined why and purpose at the fore front of your path.

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Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog, helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her approach is “the cookie cutter method only works for cookies,” meaning she helps each person in a unique way helps them transform their lives from the inside out. She’s not about helping you lose weight quick. She’s about changing your habits and helping you fall in love with yourself so you can live a life with pure joy.

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We all know exercise is good for us but most of us either don’t get enough of it or none at all! At the start of every new year or season, gyms are flooded with people hoping to lose weight and get healthy. The sad truth is that more than 80% of those who start a gym membership stop going (i.e. get discouraged, etc) and fail to meet those fitness and weight loss goals!

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At the risk of being bombarded with emails to the contrary, I stand by this statement (plus, I do have the facts to back this up!). I spent several fruitless and frustrating years and yes money, on a gym membership hoping to lose the extra pounds around my waistline as well to get on track with my fitness and health. Like any other sane individual, I eventually got tired of spinning my wheels on that particular hamster wheel going nowhere and came to the realization that, I had been pedaled a load of hog wash by good marketing, old-school celebrity trainers and a sometimes well-meaning media that often miseducates rather than inform!

For a while, I faithfully went to the gym, attended group classes with ambitious names (extreme kickboxing, power yoga, etc) and even signed up for private sessions with a personal trainer. By the end of few weeks, I was frustrated, sore, and burned out without any real results. I knew I couldn’t expect overnight progress, but I should have felt more energized and balanced; the opposite was the case! Instead of feeling enthusiastic, energized and more in tune with both my mind and body, I felt like a failure and working out was becoming a real chore! I had personal trainers telling me to sign up for more sessions, take this or that “supplement” and “rinse and repeat”!

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Okay, I told myself. Enough is enough and I’m done with the crazy gimmicky, one-trick pony approach to trying to make change happen! After several failed attempts at the gym (I know, going to the gym works for some people, but it’s not for everyone) I decided to become my own advocate and solution bringer. I actually asked myself some hard questions, looked in the mirror and took the steps I needed to effect those necessary life changes, by educating myself about fitness and health in a way that  made sense for not just me but would make sense to the average busy woman out there who was also tired of “cookie-cutter” approaches that are nothing more than a source of frustration and failure!

I was done with allowing the media and marketing to dictate my health rather than providing true and sustainable solutions to real health concerns. What ultimately led to my transformation was an actual internal shift in mindset that radiated outward into all areas of my life; an approach to my personal health by making a much-needed shift in mind-body engagement. Few people in the fitness industry will tell you that real fitness and health, begins in the mind and is sustained by making that mind-body connection that works from the inside out. Boom! So simple and yet so complex; but once you get it, you’re unstoppable and well on your way to a healthier version of you!

Now for all of those people who are still stumbling along in the dark; get off the crazy train start your journey by asking yourself the following questions:

1. What do I want my life to look like?
2. What do I see when I look in the mirror
3. Am I healthy enough to get there?
4. Am I worth it?

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Tonye Tariah, Holistic Health Strategist and founder of Freedom at The Crossroads Blog, helps free women from inaction and unhealthy habits so they can get fit, healthy, and live free. Her approach is “the cookie cutter method only works for cookies,” meaning she helps each person in a unique way helps them transform their lives from the inside out. She’s not about helping you lose weight quick. She’s about changing your habits and helping you fall in love with yourself so you can live a life with pure joy.

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