adult(ed) EPISODE 4: WORKING OUT YOUR BODY AND MIND
When I was around 18, I started to work with a movement coach to get more comfortable with moving around on stage. Stepping into it, I thought maybe he’d show me how to handle a mic stand, some simple hand motions, but what I didn't expect was that I would be starting each session with a 30 minute work out. Up until that point, I don’t think I had truly experienced working out. I sort of pinned myself as the non-athletic type which meant working out would probably never be my thing outside of a treadmill. He was the first person to really stress the importance of getting to know, taking care of, and loving my body in that way. It woke me up! How was I going to feel comfortable moving around a stage completely when I wasn’t even fully aware of my body? It really opened up my whole approach to my “why” and I saw how even if you aren’t the “athletic type” taking care of your body in this way was so important.
Let’s Get to Workin’
When we were brainstorming potential subjects for the show, working out came on top pretty early. If you don’t have someone guiding you, stepping into a place like a gym for the first time can be super intimidating. Where do you even start? In this episode of adult(ed), Natalie simplified some ways to work out your booty, legs, and tone your arms just using plates and resistance bands. To check out all the exercises be sure to watch the episode here.
Fuel Up
We didn’t have time to fully dive into all of Natalie’s recipes, but she sent us a list of some of her faves to get your started!
Spinach Pancakes
4 egg whites
1/3 cup oat flour
2 bunches of spinach
1 tsp psyllium husk
2 TBSP pumpkin purée
5 vanilla stevia drops
Dash of cinnamon
Mix in blender. Pour onto pan or griddle.
Cook on medium high and flip around a minute or when golden brown.
Pumpkin & Chocolate Pancakes
4 egg whites
1/4 cup almond flour
1 TBSP cacao powder
1 tsp psyllium husk
4 TBSP pumpkin purée
5 vanilla stevia drops
Dash of cinnamon
Mix in blender. Pour onto pan or griddle.
Cook on medium high and flip around a minute or when golden brown.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup stevia powder by Enzo
2 TBSP ChocZero sugar free maple syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Dash of salt
¾ cup cacao nibs
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together coconut oil, peanut butter, syrup and stevia. Add the large egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the Nibs. Roll into balls and fork it criss cross. Bake for 8-10 min.
MEAL PREP RECIPES
Turkey Meatballs
2 lbs of 97% Organic Ground Turkey meat
1 TBSP crushed garlic
Unsalted seasonings of choice
Dash of sea salt or Himalayan Pink Salt
2 shredded zucchini (optional)
1 egg white
Mix it all together and shape into balls then place them on non-stick foil on a baking sheet.
Bake at 385 degrees for 20 minutes.
Apple Turkey Burgers (great for breakfast, too)
Sautée 1 apple with cinnamon and vanilla on a pan with coconut oil spray
Mix apples with 2 lbs lean 97% Organic Ground Turkey packages with 2 tsp of cinnamon.
Scoop out into balls and grill or bake at 385 degrees for 20 min.
Salmon Filet
Lay Salmon on baking sheet in foil enough to wrap it up.
Squeeze lemon juice, crushed garlic, fresh dill on top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes
Sweet Potato Fries
5 sweet potatoes or yams
Cut up into fries or rounds
Lay on baking sheet sprayed with coconut oil
Top with cinnamon or garlic spray with coconut oil
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min.
Butternut Squash
Use pre-cut or cut into pieces with skin
Lay on a baking sheet of non stick foil or spray with coconut oil
Sprinkle cinnamon on top and spray with coconut oil
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min.
⭐️Sometimes after it’s roasted Natalie says she will blend it and store it as soup!
Spaghetti Squash
Microwave the squash a minute or so to soften a bit to cut in half.
Cut in half, scoop out seeds and spray with Extra Virgin Olive Oil spray.
Sprinkle garlic powder and sea salt on top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
Scoop out of skin and store in containers .
Roasted Broccoli
Lay broccoli on tray
Spray with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sprinkle on top garlic powder and Himalayan salt
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min.
You can use the same prep for these veggies with listed cook times:
Cauliflower, 20 min.
Green Beans, 20 min.
Asparagus, 10 min.
How Much?
I absolutely loved Natalie’s simple “high five” method for portioning. All you need is your hand to get a rough idea of your portions.
To break it down again:
Greens- about the size of both your hands
Proteins - about the size of one hand
Starches - make a fist
Fats - pretty much just the tip of your thumb
Fueling Your Mind
There are plenty of videos out there to show you how to work out your booty and some healthy meals you can make, but to me the most important part of this episode was when Natalie dove into mindset. Ya’ll I was getting chills on set! This spoke to me in a way I hope speaks to you. Natalie stressed that our reasoning for wanting to do things like eating healthy and working out should be because WE LOVE OURSELVES. Our relationship with working out and food shouldn’t be looked at as “punishment” to ourselves, but instead should be approached as “I want fuel my body because I value myself”. She also talked about the way we talk to ourselves and “changing the script” we tell ourselves each day because so much of what we say to ourselves in negative. Without realizing it, we begin to walk out the things that we think, so it’s so important to take captive those thoughts and turn them into positive affirmations that we can begin to walk out instead.
Once again, I hope you found something useful to take away from this episode! Thanks for watching, thanks for reading.
We came. We saw. We adulted.