Train With Nellie

McNuggets and a Vanilla Latte?

I saw a billboard today, driving down La Cienega, touting this great meal option at McDonald's.  Wow.  I'm speechless.  Everything in the photo was brown.  Battered, fried, processed, farmed chicken paired with 16 ounces of dairy and corn syrup.   

Why does anyone want to eat that?  I can only imagine how one must feel after ingesting said 'meal'.

I see nothing wrong with an occasional splurge of one kind or another, but if you're going to eat something out of the norm as a treat, at least eat something that your body can identify as a food!   (I can't honestly say that mcnuggets and a vanilla latte would fit that bill.)

Perhaps you're a die-hard chocolate fan- so have a piece of premium dark chocolate now and then (making sure it's of the soy-free variety and NOT emulsified with soy lecithin; try THEO's as one great option!). Or maybe you love a good burger- then have it- either make your own so you know what's in it, or go to a restaurant you can trust to ensure you're getting ground beef in your burger and not ground-who-knows-what-else!

There is a lot of truth in the old adage about treating one's body like a temple and remembering that what you put in is what you get out.

So, help support this movement:  EAT MORE KALE!

: )

Follow us live on Saturday

Chris and I are in Kona, HI- both honored to have the opportunity to race here on triathlon's sacred ground!  World Championships are Saturday, 10/10 at 7AM Hawaii Time.

Tune in for updates at:

www.ironmanlive.com

Use the Athlete Tracker Function and send us your virtual support! You can use 'Stephenson' as the search term, or our bib #s; I'm 1451 and Chris is 869.

I'll be racing with gratitude again- so many, many things to be thankful for.

Wish us luck!!

Saying Goodbye... or maybe not!

Today marks the close of a chapter for me; my last day of personal training in Seattle.  My husband and I are moving home to California (LA) after three and a half years in the Pacific NW.  We'll both race at Ironman World Championships in Kona on 10 October, then head down to LA from Seattle mid-October.

 Without a doubt, the most difficult part for me is saying goodbye to clients who've become great friends!    

Ultimately, my role is that of a teacher, and if I've been able to impart knowledge about training, nutrition, racing, food shopping, cooking & so on, then I suppose the goal is met and that now is the time to welcome more clients and continue on my mission to keep helping people get healthy and fit, as well as my long-term quest to change the way America eats!

However, I realize it's  not actually goodbye.  I'm fortunate to be in the position where I will continue to have a chance to work with clients online, as well as in person, as many have regular business in LA, or travel there to see friends and family.

Before long, I'll have my studio up and running and clients will be able to Train With Nellie in a new venue!

To my clients here in Seattle, a heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart for making these past three years so wonderful. You've made my business and I've enjoyed every session with each of you.  It's been a gift to have known you and I will indeed miss each of you...

See you in Los Angeles!

Soy? Don't do it!

With soy being so readily available, you may be eating it without even knowing you are doing so!  Used not only as a dairy alternative, you'll find soy protein in commercially available bars & shakes, in mock-meats, in sauces, even as a stabilizer in your Vitamin E tablets!  It's been promoted as a healthy food that one should eat regularly.   

Unfortunately, soy's just not that good for you!  It's actually quite toxic...

Just a couple of the negative impacts of eating soy:

-Being a legume, it contains phytic acid and contributes to vitamin malabsorption and leaky gut syndrome.  (Think 'anti- nutrient'!)

-The phyto (plant) estrogens can interfere with hormone balance, as well as contribute to certain cancers and thyroid dysfunction.

Think twice next time you reach for the soy milk, or give your kids a handful of edamame!  Instead, opt for water as your beverage of choice and give your kids 'GREENS, NOT BEANS"! 

Did you know....

Raisins and spinach are two of the most alkaline-enhancing foods you can eat! Post workout, after you've hydrated, a small box of raisins provide a great source of carbohydrate as part of your recovery process. Later, when you're ready to move back to lower glycemic foods that you'd choose for all other times of the day (when you're NOT working out), a bed of spinach with some healthy protein & fat (salmon & avocado, anyone?), makes a great lunch.

Nell Stephenson
www.trainwithnellie.com
BS EXSC, USC ACSM H/FI

Sent from my iPhone

A New Year!

Hello~

As I begin a new  year (celebrated my 35th BDAY yesterday), I thought today would be an appropriate time to begin blogging again.  After a period of time being intermittent (or completely absent!) from blogging, what better time to start anew on unfinished projects?

Lots of exciting things on the horizon as Chris and I make the move from Seattle home to Los Angeles in the beginning of October.

Stay tuned for more nutrition & fitness posts, more work with The Paleo Diet, LLC, online nutrition programs available for purchase- both custom and individualized, the book as well as other interesting projects...

Be healthy, move, and enjoy life!

Regional Eating- Italian

Going on a trip, whether within your own country or abroad need not mean taking a leave of absence from your healthy Paleo lifestyle!   Unfortunately, I’ve found that lots of people feel a bit lost, however, when they leave the comforts of home and are faced with NEW food choices, some of which may be slightly to extremely unfamiliar.

 As such, I thought it would be a great idea to have a series of articles dedicated to several different regional cuisines and how to order food within the realm of Paleo eating.  So, whether you have a trip to France planned, or you’re simply heading out for a meal at your local Japanese restaurant, stay tuned!

To start, let’s go Italian!

The first thing you may think is that Italian Food = Pasta, so forget it, right?  Wrong! Open any good Italian cookbook and you’ll see loads of recipes for fish, poultry, veggies and so on!

-When ordering, as always, opt for menu choices that are grilled, roasted and sautéed, and double check with your server to make sure there are no cream or cheese-based sauces that would otherwise accompany the meal.

-Start your meal with an Insalata Mista, and ask for olive oil on the side with a twist of lemon.

-Share an appetizer with the table of beef carpaccio with melon, or something along those lines.

-As always, ask the server what veggies are in the house that evening, that the chef might be willing to steam (or sauté in garlic & oil- delish!) for you.  Be adventurous- try something new!  Instead of the same old spinach, try escarole or rapini, two of my faves!

-For your main course, choose a shrimp scampi (this can be prepared without butter using olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon) or a chicken piccata (which can me made without flour).

-Many Italian places will also offer house-made sorbetto as well- a pleasant way to end a lovely meal, without dairy, or too many calories!

Buon Appetito!

A great day at the races!

Saturday was a dream day!  I know it sounds odd, but I misunderstood the new qualification rules of how one goes about earning a slot for Ironman World Championships at this particular race.   In past years, there were more opportunities at half distance races for a Kona slot.   At HI 70.3, there are slots allocated for residents of Hawaii, and for the Big Island as well as "International" slots.  I didn't realize that, as  US Citizen, I had a chance at one of the international slots.  It was literally the day before the race that my husband happened to mention to a friend of ours that he thought I had a strong chance to qualify.

The reason I mention all this is that going into the race, thinking I had nothing riding on it, created an extremely relaxing mindset and a feeling like I just would go out and enjoy the gift of being able to race in Hawaii and have a great training day.  Also, since my husband and I are racing at IM Canada in August, the plan had been to try for a slot there anyway.

The day before the race, I read an article in the local paper about how one of the professional women triathletes had had a recent skin cancer scare and that she would focus on the fact that she had a clean bill of health during the race.  I thought about that a lot, and decided to dedicate my race to my mom, who has MS, who can't race.  She can swim, but biking and running aren't in the picture for now.   

In contrast to last year, when I raced at IM Lake Placid and felt as though my life depended on getting a Kona slot, Saturday's race was pure fun.  That's what it should be! I race for fun.  I'm an age group athlete who has been fortunate enough to find a sport I love, not to mention one that I share with my husband.   I had the chance to race in beautiful Kona, with phenomenal weather and be hosted by such warm, friendly people.  My body works.  I'm healthy.  What was there to stress about?

Enough said.   The point is- I learned a very valuable lesson about how I want to go into races in the future and to keep my cool, and, as my coach suggested, keep playful.

I won my age group with a smile on my face and I have the amazing opportunity to come back this October to race at IM World Championships for round three.   

I'm a very happy girl!

FOLLOW US LIVE

Chris & I are racing tomorrow at IM Hawaii 70.3 and would LOVE some virtual support!

Follow us during the race, which starts at 7AM HI Time at:

www.ironmanlive.com

Thanks!!

'Spaghetti' & Meatballs- healthy?

Well- if you do it my way, using spaghetti SQUASH instead of the traditional, wheat-based dish you're used to!  I've written about this fave before, but here's a different , completely grain & dairy-free twist:

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds; bake cut-side down in a dish with water for 45 minutes @ 425 degrees.

Remove from oven and cool- scrape out the squash with a fork to create the 'spaghetti-esque' look.  Set aside.

Using lean ground beef or turkey, make meatballs by adding an egg, some freshly chopped basil & sundried tomato, fresh garlic and some olive oil.  Form into a ball shape and place on a rack over a baking tray.  Bake at 400 for about twenty minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so.  Check that the internal temp is 160 to ensure safety and remove from oven.

Chop some fresh tomato (Heirloom are fantastic!) and shred some basil- toss with the squash in a casserole dish and place back into the oven that's still hot from the meatballs to warm up for a few minutes.  

Serve with the meatballs on top and a side of sauteed spinach- lovely, colourful, balanced and delicious!

Enjoy!