July Client Spotlight You Don't Want to Miss! Diving Into HIS Grace for Transformation!

Sweet friends, 

Can you believe July is almost over?! Each of you has worked so hard this summer! This month our theme was DIVE into GRACE! We made a goal to intentionally dive deep by being more intentional with our bodies, minds, and spirits.  We hope that you felt encouraged by friends, family, and our TransFit community!
 

Today, we have the pure joy of introducing you to one of our amazing clients, Lauren Douglas!

Lauren is an amazing friend, wife, teacher, and overall incredible woman. She radiates light and love and you instantly feel that when she smiles so brightly or gives you the best heart-felt hug! Lauren is genuine, kind, and one of the hardest working women I know! You will love her spotlight as she speaks about giving herself grace though-out this past year. My prayer is that her testimony will inspire you to dive into everything you do with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength while giving yourself the grace to be uniquely YOU! 

Lauren, like many of our clients, has been exercising diligently through all 9 months of her pregnancy. We all have something these days: an injury, an illness, a hard day, or some type of stumbling block. We are stronger together and when we show up, TOGETHER, we can transform whatever we put our minds to! Let's do this friend! 

Congrats sweet lady! Thank you for giving your all and for inspiring all women that by giving your best one hour, one day at a time you can reach your goals! 

When my husband, Will, and I found out we were expecting our first baby at the end of July I made a plan to keep myself physically and emotionally healthy throughout my pregnancy. It helped to know that what I was doing for myself was having a direct effect on my growing baby. Part of that self-care included extending myself a lot of grace, especially during the first trimester! I found myself extremely tired and nauseous at the end of the day so made a simple goal to maintain one strength based workout per week and go on one walk/run per week. This felt doable without feeling I was over-exerting myself. I started counting afternoon naps as an integral part of my self-care: ). Once I was feeling like myself again I made three goals to focus on. 1) Get in three workouts a week, 2) drink 100 ounces of water a day, and 3) eat greens every day. Again these were achievable and I knew would benefit me and our growing baby boy.

I had a friend encourage me early on to just keep showing up, no matter how many reps you get to in a session or how out of breath you feel, just keep coming back. She promised that I would feel better during pregnancy and once the baby was here. That was some of the best advice! When I showed up to the TransFormer classes I was so encouraged by Caroline, Lisa, Mallory, Katie, and all the women I was working out alongside. So thank you for encouraging me and lifting me up each time I stepped foot into TransFit! There were days where I didn’t get to a mile during the cardio block or I had to stop and take a breather after only 10 reps, but the support and encouragement I felt from the TransFit community kept me coming back. Just showing up benefited not only my physical health but my emotional health as well. 

I tracked my measurements to help keep me accountable, but also celebrate the work my body was doing to grow this baby. At first, it was hard/scary to see those numbers grow, but I knew it was needed to support a healthy baby. I focused on meeting my goals each week and saw the growing numbers as important work my body was doing. 

Smoothies became my best friend. I throw so many good things in there and know I am getting the nutrition I need. Kale, spinach, cauliflower, protein, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, yogurt for the probiotics, avocado for the healthy fats, were all things I’ve incorporated into a smoothie. They’re an easy way to pack in nutrients when you may not feel like eating yet another salad.

Here is one of my favorite smoothies:

• 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 scoop vanilla vega protein powder
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
• 1/2 cup frozen peaches
• 1 tbsp hemp/chia/flax seed mixture
• Blend until smooth

We are calling it the BeaUtiful Skin Smoothie

This smoothie is a delicious, energizing meal replacement and is so good for your body, mind, and especially your skin. The high protein smoothie is great for post workout! The avocado has good healthy fat for elasticity with your skin and will help keep you full! By adding in a tablespoon of Chia seeds, you will receive Omega 3 three fatty acid’s which are so good for your bones, skin, and heart! The added spinach and cauliflower bring in tons of Vitamin A and C great for your immune system! We added just a sprinkle of almonds on top because we like a crunch, but that’s optional.

I’m days away from meeting our baby boy and am excited to introduce him to the TransFit community! I know once he’s here it will be important for me to get back to working out but plan to extend a lot of grace as I navigate this new adventure of being a mom.

Lauren, we are SO proud of you! We can't wait to meet your sweet baby boy! 

Ladies, we hope you feel encouraged and inspired by Lauren's story! What a testament to diving into HIS GRACE this month! Let us know how we can help you to live transformed. Make it count this July- let's finish July strong! 

Email us at transfitathens@gmail.com if you have any questions! 

Blessings, 

Team TransFit

Healthy Gut = Healthy YOU!

So many great questions about probiotics this month. Gut health is one important part of whole body health. Did you know most diseases begin in the gut? 90% of our cells are bacteria cells and 10% are human cells. Thousands of species of bacteria all have different functions. Some of the bacteria digest foods, some produce different vitamins and hormones, some respond to medicines and infections, some control your blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and some control your risk for obesity or diabetes. These bacteria control almost every process in your body! 

Our brain and gut are connected through the enteric nervous system. The belly and brain are connected physically and biochemically. What does this really mean? The types of bacteria in our gut controls the way we think, behave, and feel.  Your gut health is vitally important in your transformation journey. 

Let's make a new goal this month to maintain a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. There are many reasons how the delicate balance of a healthy gut is compromised. We eat diets of sugar, processed foods, and alcohol. We consume antibiotics and have too much stress. These areas create an imbalance causing the bad bacteria to shift from a single cell of yeast into a mycelial fungus. Thus, causing gut diseases and other problems in our bodies.

So what can we do to keep it balanced and try to regain gut health?

• Cutting back on sugar, processed foods, antibiotics, NSAIDS, steroids, and synthetic hormones

• Cut back on stress. Stress is harmful to our health and is actually the second cause of unbalanced gut flora. Take more deep breathes and use exercise to de-stress.

• Read food labels to decrease added sugar and processed foods

• Eat whole, live, raw foods

• Supplement with a quality probiotic (kombucha, supplement, fermented foods)

The colon (gut) has at least 500 different kinds of bacteria! One of the bacteria is the bifidobacteria making up the majority of the "good" bacteria that is in your gut. This good bacteria is benefited by the intake of probiotics.

Probiotics can help your digestive tract and help take up space in your stomach that could be taken over by a less healthful product or organism. Probiotics can be found in foods that have live and active cultures. A great source of probiotics is found in yogurt, kefir, Kombucha, and sauerkraut.

It is important to choose yogurt products that are made with milk from cows that eat organic food. Additionally, try to choose yogurt or kefir that does not have any added sugars, colors, or flavors that have been added by heat after that was fermented. The best way to know if you are choosing yogurt that has the probiotics you need is to see if it has the LAC seal, standing for Live and Active Cultures. We encourage you to add more probiotics into your diet and then help the probiotics by eating more fiber, too!

Fiber is important for overall health, but it is found that around 90% of Americans do not meet the recommendation for dietary fiber. Women should work to eat 25 grams per day and studies encourage you to have 40-50 grams of fiber, in order to have optimal gut health. Adding fiber and probiotics to your diet can help the number of probiotics in your colon, this will improve your health.

Here are some fiber-filled foods you can add to your diet! 

• Avocado- 1/2 cup serving size with 8 grams of fiber

• Raspberries- 1 cup serving size with 8 grams of fiber

• Lentils, cooked- 1 cup serving size with 15.6 grams of fiber

• Black beans, cooked- 1 cup serving size with 15 grams of fiber

In addition to your dietary needs, it is important to focus on your exercise, time spent resting, and the amount of sleep you get each night. As you know, exercise is such an important part of whole body health. Regular exercise can help you have a greater diversity of bacteria in your stomach. Also, we forget that rest is needed for whole body health. Stress can add to the amount of adrenalin your body gives off and therefore speeds up everything occurring in your body. As a result, adrenalin can cause your food to pass through too quickly and can lead to a negative impact on your stomach's health. Take time each day to check in with your exercise and rest balance. 

Here are some great recipes that will add in more probiotics and fiber to your meals! 

Flora-Flourishing Meal in a Jar

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

• 1/2 cup plain Kefir

• 1 teaspoon real maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons whole grain oats

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus additional for sprinkling

• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds or nut of choice

In a mason jar or bowl, combine yogurt, Kefir, syrup, oats, chia seeds, and ground cinnamon. Let stand 5 minutes.  Top with frozen mixed berries in jar or layer the mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with almonds. Refrigerate overnight or up to two days. 

Farro & Black Bean Salad

• 1 cup of farro, cooked according to package directions

• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed

• 1/2 cup corn or edamame, (thawed if frozen)

• 1 roasted red bell pepper (from jar), diced

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (about 3/4 teaspoon)

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir gently to combine! Enjoy! 

Try to add fiber and probiotics to your diet this week. You can do it! If you would like to meet with our nutrition consultant, Katie Woodall, or Registered Dietitian, Kaeti Shurling please email us at transfitathens@gmail.com to set up a 1-1, 30-minute session or 55-minute. This 1-1 session will allow you to talk about you specific nutrition, meal planning, give you new recipes to try, and a plan to succeed! Let's finish this week strong! Let us know if you have any questions! 

Blessings, 

Team TransFit 

Dive Into Grace This July!

DIVE

(v): To intentionally jump or plunge headfirst

July has officially arrived and we are ready to dive in! We lit the SPARK of whole body health and wellness in June and now let's dive deeper into nutrition, exercise, and scripture! I love the word INTENTIONALLY in the definition of DIVE. To keep moving forward this July in our goals and dreams, let's clean the slate starting today and dive in by intentionally doing one thing new for your body, mind, and spirit.

What is that one thing you CAN do this month? 

INTENTIONALLY: 

OPEN HIS WORD DAILY

DRINK ONE EXTRA GLASS OF WATER DAILY

MOVE YOUR BODY DAILY

EAT MORE GREENS DAILY

ENCOURAGE SOMEONE DAILY

TRY THE JULY ARM CHALLENGE DAILY

________________   DAILY (fill in your blank)

Write your one thing down, tell a friend, and stay accountable! Dive in deeper this month and challenge yourself to a new goal! We are excited to hear about it!  Remember, His grace is sufficient for us!! Release the past and reset for a new day! Let's dive into all that He has in store for us this month!

This month, we are challenging you to our Transform Your Arms in July- Push Up Challenge. Each person who completes this challenge will be put into our drawing for a MONTH of FREE sessions!!! Send us your calendar filled out each day and you could be the winner!! Commit to one thing a day- try doing push-ups daily and if not push-ups, then hold a plank for the number of seconds on the push-up challenge calendar! We hope that you will join us this month, as we transform our arms, our minds, and spirits for the summer! 

If you want more of a challenge, try doing the push-ups on a medicine ball! We believe in YOU!

We pray that this month you rest in His grace! This month, we are encouraging and challenging all clients and friends to join the TransFit Team, as we study the book of John together! What an amazing way for us to build community than going through the Word together! You can follow along as we read through the book of John this month! 

If you completed our June squat challenge- please email or text us with a picture of your completed calendar, so that you can be inserted in the drawing for a month of FREE sessions! 

We want to remind you that our studio will be OPEN on Monday ONLY and 1-1 appointments will be available all week; however, the studio WILL BE CLOSED Tuesday-Saturday due to the 4th of July! We hope that you will continue to live transformed on vacation!

Don't forget about our FREE workouts on the website and app, as well as workout videos on the website and YouTube, plus fun and healthy recipes to try for your 4th of July festivities! 

If you have any questions, please email us at transfitathens@gmail.com. 

Blessings, 

Team TransFit