TAKING ACTION: ✅ What questions do you have about core strength? All questions are welcome! Ask away! Have you always longed for abs? Well, guess what? You already have them! 💯 “Abs” are short for abdominal muscles, and yep, you already have ‘em. Just like you already have muscles everywhere else in your body. The visibility of your abs is another story and depends on the amount of belly fat you have. This isn’t to say you have too much belly fat if you can’t see your ab muscles. Most people must be very lean and have very little body fat to see abdominal muscles. Your nutrition plays a critical role in the visibility of your abs, but so do genetics. As you’ll read in the article attached, women specifically are predisposed to storing excess body fat—and this often shifts from the hip/buttock area to the midsection/belly area as we enter into perimenopause and menopause. Anyone experiencing this right now? 🙋‍♀️ The good news is that a strong core is much more important than visible abs! Of course, reducing excess belly fat is also beneficial, but the overall point is that you should work on your core strength regardless of whether or not you can see abs or not. 💯 ⬇️OPTIONAL READING⬇️ (This is a great article to read if you’re interested in core strength!) 7 Reasons Why Building Core Strength is Better than Six Pack Abs

TAKING ACTION: ✅ What’s your favorite Spring fruit or vegetable? Share below! Yesterday, I introduced a brand new topic for most—the health benefits of eating in season (and more specifically, Spring since it’s Spring and all 😉). Before we talk about the benefits, however, I want to talk about some of the foods you can buy that are in season right now. This will allow you to grab some of them early in the week and get started with eating in season! 🍽️Spring Protein Sources: Lamb, eggs, salmon, Fava beans, and crab (or other shellfish) 🍽️Spring Fruits: Strawberries, apricots, blackberries, and cherries 🍽️Spring Vegetables: Asparagus, peas, artichokes, radishes, and spinach 🍽️Spring Grains: Oats, barley, quinoa, and buckwheat 🍽️Spring Nuts & Seeds: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and almonds This list isn’t all-inclusive, but it’s a good starting point if you’ve never shopped for in-season foods. I’m also attaching a website/blog today that provides a more extensive list, and of course, Springtime recipes! Feel free to save it and use it as a resource this season! 🍒 24 Spring Dinner Ideas - Healthy Seasonal Recipes

TAKING ACTION: ✅ Choose at least one in-season food today and share a picture in the comments below! It can be as simple as adding strawberries to a salad!🍓 Happy Wednesday, friends! Who’s ready to fill up our glycogen stores today with healthy carbohydrates and pick up the heavy weights?! 💪 This week, we’re discussing the benefits of eating in season. What you’re going to find is that the benefits range from health to taste to financial! Eating in season really is a no-brainer! Let’s look at two of the benefits below (we’ll discuss more benefits throughout the week) ⬇️ ⭐️ Higher Nutrient Content: Seasonal produce is typically harvested at peak ripeness, when nutrient levels, like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, are highest. For example, spring foods like asparagus and strawberries are rich in vitamins K and C, which support bone health and skin health. Non-seasonal produce, often harvested early for transport, may lose nutrients during storage or ripening off the plant. ⭐ Better Flavor and Quality: In-season foods are fresher and tastier because they’re harvested at their optimal time and often travel shorter distances to market; therefore, keeping them fresher in terms of taste and nutrient density. Nutrient-dense foods are linked to better gut health and reduced risk of chronic diseases. As mentioned, we’ll discuss more benefits throughout the week, but for now, it’s important to know that eating in season means you’ll consume more nutrients, and at a better quality. This is important because the better quality of our nutrients, the better our overall health—and the better the flavor of our foods! 💯

TAKING ACTION: ✅Do you feel like your diet is diverse? Meaning, do you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, etc. to give your body a variety of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals? Yesterday, we began discussing a couple of the benefits of foods that are in-season. Before we get to today’s benefits, I want to point out something else important—eating in-season allows for dietary diversity. The human body needs multiple nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and this is possible by eating a variety of foods. When your diet matches the season, you will naturally consume a variety of whole foods, which means you’ll consume a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients! I don’t know about you, but that seems a lot more convenient than taking a handful of vitamins/supplements every day. 🙌 With that, let’s check out two more benefits of eating in-season ⬇️ ⭐️Fewer Pesticides and Preservatives: Seasonal produce, especially from local sources, often requires fewer chemical interventions to grow or preserve, reducing your exposure to potential toxins. For instance, spring greens like spinach may need less pesticide in their natural growing season due to favorable conditions. ⭐️Supports Gut Health: Seasonal eating aligns with dietary diversity (as mentioned above), which promotes a healthy gut microbiome. Spring foods like root vegetables (e.g., carrots, radishes) provide fiber and prebiotics, feeding beneficial gut bacteria, which can improve digestion and immunity. Still need more convincing when it comes to eating in-season? No worries—we’re going to talk about a couple of more benefits on Saturday! 🍓