Fall is not just about pumpkin spice lattes and cozy sweaters—it's the time when the most nutritious and flavorful produce arrives on the scene. Fall fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and other health-boosting compounds that help you lose weight, burn fat, reduce inflammation, and improve your overall health.

Read on to discover seasonal staples to stock up on during your next trip to the farmer's market or grocery store. Your waistline—and your body—will thank you!

Apples

Apples are a fall powerhouse when it comes to weight loss! They are loaded with fiber, particularly pectin, which slows digestion and helps you feel full longer. Apples are low in calories but high in water content, so they fill you up and help you stay hydrated, making them an excellent snack for dieters. They are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and inflammation, which is linked to weight gain, injuries, pain and fatigue. Apples are...

Cycling is more than just a fun activity or a way to commute—it's an amazing way to boost your health, improve your fitness, and even lose weight! This fun activity significantly impacts your health and overall well-being, whether you're cruising through your neighborhood, riding to work, or tackling scenic trails. As a transformational nutrition and fitness coach, I always recommend that clients find activities that they enjoy—cycling is one of my favorites, so I am thrilled to share some of its incredible benefits and how it contributes to your health, diet, and weight loss journey.

1. Cycling is an Effective Full-Body Workout

One of the standout benefits of cycling is that it engages your entire body. It’s a common misconception that we only use our legs when cycling; while that may be where you feel the burn, it actually works all the major muscle groups, from your core and arms to your back and legs. Cycling also improves muscle strength and flexibility, which...

Eating often becomes a rushed, unconscious activity due to busy lifestyles and packed schedules. New clients often tell me they eat standing up or multitask during meals, barely noticing the food on their plates—and certainly not enjoying it! This disconnect from our eating habits causes overeating, poor digestion, and a lack of fun in our meals. Mindful eating offers a pathway to a more intentional, satisfying relationship with food. By infusing mindfulness into mealtime, we can create better health and a deeper appreciation for food.

Here are three ways to practice mindful eating.

1. Engage All Your Senses

A fundamental principle of mindful eating is to engage ALL your senses in the experience. This practice invites you to truly observe and appreciate the food in front of you, rather than mindlessly consuming it.

Before you take your first bite, slow down and really look at your food. Notice the colors, shapes, and textures. Is your plate vibrant with a variety of colors, or...

Finding time for a full workout can be challenging. Sometimes our schedules are too busy to hit the gym or our favorite exercise class. The good news is, you can maintain momentum and improve your health in just 10 to 15 minutes per day. Yes, you heard that right! With just a few short bursts of physical activity, you can boost your fitness, increase metabolic burn, and transform your body.

Short bursts of activity, also known as micro-workouts, is a fitness trend gaining popularity for its simplicity and effectiveness. It involves exercising at maximum effort for a brief period, usually ranging from 20 seconds to a few minutes, followed by a short rest period. This cycle is repeated several times, creating an efficient workout that can be done in as little as 10 to 15 minutes.

Here are some of the awesome benefits!

1. Improved Cardiovascular Health

Short bursts of intense activity significantly boosts cardiovascular health. When you push your body to its limits, your heart works...

Going out for meals can be so much fun—but it can be a challenge for some. Many of my clients worry about dining out at restaurants when they’re trying to diet or struggle with weight issues. The concern is so understandable! But the good news is, there are strategies you can use to master the art of dining out without derailing your weight loss efforts.

1. Don’t Arrive Hungry

When you go to a restaurant, it can take some time to get seated, place your order and then wait for your entrée to arrive—hence, the bread and butter, tortilla chips and other diet spoilers they put on the table to tide us over. Instead of dipping into this well of fattening carbs and other calorie-laden food, have a healthy snack before you go. Pop a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit, or some Greek yogurt so that you’ll be able to hold out for your entrée.

2. Preview the Menu in Advance

An easy way to stay on track is by researching the restaurant’s menu...

Mindset is everything! As a nutrition and mindset coach, I love to help my clients develop and refine an incredible mindset to help them achieve their health and fitness goals. An excellent—and timely—source of inspiration is the Olympics! Adopting the mindset of an Olympic athlete will help you develop mental resilience and discipline that will transcend and benefit every area of life, from relationships and business to diet, fitness, and health.

Here are four ways to cultivate that mindset and unlock your full potential.

1. Set Clear & Ambitious Goals

Olympic athletes dedicate years to pursuing a single goal: winning a medal. This level of singular focus is transformative in any area of life. Even though you may not be trying to win a medal, having that kind of focus will benefit you tremendously.

Start by defining your vision and clearly articulate what you want to achieve. Whether it’s advancing in your career, learning a new skill, or improving your...

Practicing gratitude is more than saying thank you–it’s a powerful habit that can improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. Regularly focusing on and appreciating positive areas of your life changes your perspective, reduces stress, and has life-changing effects on your body and mind. As a transformational nutrition coach, it’s one of my favorite practices to recommend. Literally nothing but good comes from practicing gratitude!

A gratitude practice is a science-backed method for improving your overall well-being. It shifts your focus to the positives in your life, which helps develop feelings of abundance and happiness. 

Here are some of the amazing benefits of gratitude.

Stress Reduction

Stress causes a fight-or-flight response in your parasympathetic nervous system that raises blood pressure, makes your heart beat faster, and triggers surges in cortisol and adrenaline. Expressing gratitude helps calm the nervous system and lowers blood pressure,...

The heat is still on—and while many are heading back to school, the weather beckons lighter fare in line with the weather in many places, especially here in Southern California. Whether you’re on a diet, working with a nutrition and mindset coach like me, or just starting to eat healthier, it’s the perfect time to opt for some low carb options when planning your meals. An easy way to do that is to feature greens as the star of your entrée to ensure your meal is packed with fiber, nutrients and antioxidants.

Some excellent choices are spinach, arugula, kale, collard greens, broccoli and even iceberg lettuce, which is often overlooked as it is not as nutrient-rich as other greens, yet has an impressive water content and provides an awesome foundation for salads and wraps.

Here are some quick and easy ways to wrap more greens into your summer nights.

Wrap Your Veggies

Toss your favorite foods into a spinach or iceberg foundation with some balsamic vinegar...

As a nutrition and mindset coach, many clients ask me which are the best exercises for optimizing diet efforts, especially this time of year. While eating right is your first priority, working out can significantly expedite your results and boost your overall health. The best types of physical activity combine both cardiovascular and resistance training, as you’ll burn calories while building the lean muscle you need to rev your metabolism and increase your daily burn.

Here are five different workouts that are excellent supplements to any diet or weight management program. NOTE: Make sure to check with your physician to make sure you are in good enough health before you begin any exercise program.

1. Bicycling 

Whether you take spin class or like to cycle outside, this sport is a serious calorie burner, torching up to 500 to 1000 calories per hour, depending on how fast you go. Cycling decreases fat levels and improves cardiovascular fitness, while increasing muscle...

When you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or are following a low carb diet, it’s important to consume lots of protein, preferably the lean kind. It’s essential for building lean muscle mass,  repairing muscles after exercise and promoting healthy digestion. The more lean muscle mass we build, the more calories we burn on a daily basis, as it is more metabolically active than fat. Lean muscle also improves bone density, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular health.

While lean chicken, pork, fish, and grass-fed beef are good mainstays, there are also plenty of other sources that are perfect for those following a low-carb, vegan or vegetarian diet. The following foods are packed with protein as well as some of the essential nutrients our bodies need to function properly.

1. Chia Seeds

One eight-ounce serving contains a whopping 4.4 grams of protein. More importantly, these tiny little seeds are considered a “complete protein,” which means...