Drink a smoothie for breakfast 3x this week

It’s no secret that smoothies are my absolutely favourite breakfast: quick and easy to prepare, easy on the digestive tracts in the morning, and a great way to load up on fruits, veggies, and other supplements/adaptogens before the sun even comes up. Be creative and make your smoothies however you like, but keep it simple! Here’s a couple of my favourites:

  • 1 banana, 1 cup spinach, frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, water
  • 1 frozen banana, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, cinnamon, your choice of milk (regular, almond, coconut, etc)

Optional add-ins: Oats, collagen powder, clean protein powder, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, greens powder, 1 date (pitted), hemp seeds – this would also check off challenge #4!

2. Eat each meal slowly, chewing thoroughly

This one is going to take some dedication, as you’ll have to remember to do this each time you eat. Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly can improve digestion as your GI tract has less of a burden in breaking down the food since your teeth are doing more of the work. Additionally, your body will produce more digestive enzymes to break down the food, and you will have less bloating and gas due to swallowed air. You’ll also eat less, as your brain will be more likely to sense that you are full before you stop eating.

3. Designate 2 hours of no screen time each day

This may not sound like it’s directly connected to your health, or weight loss, but I promise it is. Many of you are finding you don’t have time to cook a healthy meal or to workout, so this mini challenge is meant to help you find more time in your day! Between our smartphones, computers, tablets, and TVs, adults log anywhere from 2-12 hours of screen time each day! Designate two hours of your day that you will not be near a screen. You may choose any time of day outside of your work hours, so that you can fill the time with something else, like exercising, cooking, or spending quality time with family. I’ll be setting my “no screen time” from 6-8pm!

4. Add a nutrition boost to 1 meal/day

From fibre to protein, greens powder to adaptogens, there are endless ways to add a little extra nutrition to your meals. This week, try adding one nutrition “booster” to one meal a day. Try a tsp of chia seeds in your oatmeal, a tablespoon of collagen powder in your smoothie, or even just some hemp hearts sprinkled on a salad.

5. Squat every day!

Squats are one of the most powerful, effective, functional exercises, and should be a part of almost everyone’s workout routine. Do them every day this week (take a day off if you’re really sore). Do them in sets of 10 or 12, and set a target number of sets, eg. 3 sets of 12 squats, or 2 sets of 10. You can do body weight squats or weighted squats, your choice, depending on your current fitness level. Learn how to do a proper squat here!