These energy bites are adapted from a recipe by Ambitious Kitchen. They are delicious and super easy to make! You will need a food processor to make the experience a bit easier, but it can be done without one if you have patience.
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​Caution: eat these sparingly! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup natural drippy peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup protein powder of choice
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon chocolate chips 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

Add the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, protein powder of your choice, ground flaxseed, oats, cinnamon and chia seeds in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse together until well combined. Add in the chocolate chips and coconut and pulse a few more times. Use a spoon or your hands to grab dough and roll into approx. 10 balls. Then put them in an airtight container for yummy snacking later!

Note: You can make these without a food processor, but it just takes more time and you may have to use your hands to mix the ingredients together.

You can store these in the fridge for up to 1 week, or the freezer for up to 2 months. Enjoy!

Approximate Nutrition:

Serving: 1 energy bite
Calories: 150cal
Carbohydrates: 14g
Protein: 6.6g
Fat: 8.8g
Saturated Fat: 1.2g
Fiber: 3.2g
Sugar: 7.7g

​I would stick to having only 2-3 bites at a time!

Muscle cramping during workouts can be painful and inconvenient. In the past, we’ve been told that to avoid muscle cramping we should drink lots of water and restore our electrolytes. There is really no evidence to support that theory.

The newest science suggests that muscle cramps are a result of “altered neuromuscular control”, which is caused by several factors including fatigue, muscle damage, and genetics. Under this new theory there are no quick fixes, but rather a suggestion that proper training and a systematic progression to training can hep to minimize the risk of cramps.

Here’s why:
As you get tired your muscular control becomes dysfunctional. So, instead of your muscles contracting and relaxing, the muscles continue to fire and cause a “twitching” feeling. If the imbalance persists, the muscle will eventually contract an outright cramp.

The neuromuscular cramp theory was first proposed in 1997 by researcher, Martin Schwellnus, to explain the fact that the muscles affected are usually those that have been working the hardest. He asked questions like, “If it’s a systemic problem like dehydration, then why doesn’t the whole body cramp?”. He also pointed out that sports doctors had long known that to help relieve a cramp, stretching the affected muscle was the best solution, which was another indication that the problem was local rather than general. 

Also, cramping often runs in families, so that suggests that there is a genetic component. 

So how can you avoid muscle cramps?  
Progress slowly into a new exercise routine, set realistic goals, and rest before big competitions or races.  This won’t guarantee that you won’t get a cramp, but it will lower your chances.  

If you do get a cramp, stretching out the muscle, although painful, is the most effective way of ending it.

Chia seed pudding is one of the easiest on-the-go breakfasts/snacks to meal prep and it’s delicious! Now, if you’ve never had it you might need some time to adjust to the texture, but trust me, in the end you will love it!

Choosing your ingredients
As with any recipe, you want to make sure you have the best ingredients.  Be sure to check the labels when you purchase your ingredients.  

Every brand of chia seeds is going to have different serving sizes and protein amounts.  I always try to pick one that has the highest protein to get the most benefit from the chia seeds. 

For the liquid part of the chia seed pudding, you can use almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, etc.  I personally like to use flax milk + protein. I also use coconut milk from time to time because of the creamy texture.  

Then, you’ll want to think about which type of sweetener to use.  I recommend maple syrup or honey.  Again, think about the different brands you can use - if you are going to use maple syrup I suggest using a pure maple syrup.

Ingredients List

• 2 cups of coconut milk (or other substitute)
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (or less) maple syrup (or other sweetener substitute)

Optional Ingredients:

• Cinnamon powder
• Cacao powder
• Peanut butter powder
• Banana (mashed)
• Matcha green tea powder
• Collagen powder

Recipe:
Mix all ingredients in an air tight container and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until it gels together.  
*You can top with nuts, fruit, granola, sauces, coco whip, dark chocolate chips, etc.*

I like meal-prepping chia seed pudding in advance and letting it sit in the fridge overnight.  Then I have an easy option for breakfast in the morning or a snack/dessert later in the day!

There are so many variations of chia seed pudding that you shouldn’t have a problem finding one that you like.  You can also easily double the recipe if you have a large family to feed. Hope you enjoy!

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a method of classifying foods according to their potential to raise blood glucose levels.
Let’s back track for a second. Insulin is a hormone produced by special cells of the pancreas of healthy individuals in response to increased blood glucose concentration, among other things. The primary role of insulin is the transport of glucose from the bloodstream into the the muscle and fat cells. In response to low blood glucose concentration, a hormone called glucagon is secreted by special cells in the pancreas which releases glucose from liver glycogen stores. The body must be able to maintain blood glucose levels within a certain range to function optimally. Both insulin and glucagon help to accomplish this. In individuals with diabetes, these hormones do not function properly. ​

There is a myth that carbohydrates stimulate insulin release and insulin stores fat, therefore carbohydrates make you fat. Research has been twisted by popular media to perpetuate this fear.
Research on the GI shows that certain carbohydrates cause blood glucose levels to rise and fall more rapidly than others. Those foods that create a dramatic rise and fall of blood sugar (high-glycemic) may leave us feeling hungrier more quickly than foods that are lower on the glycemic index. The terms “fast and slow moving/releasing carbs” are also popular. Eating foods lower on the glycemic index can be especially important for individuals with diabetes since fluctuations in blood glucose levels to either extreme can be fatal.
So, looking at the glycemic index, an equal amount of carbohydrate from white bread and barley will produce two different glycemic responses. Not ALL carbohydrates are bad for you and they will not make you fat.
Generally, consuming more calories than you are burning is what makes you gain weight. Being smarter about the types of foods you eat, including the type of carbohydrates, can aid in weight control both physiologically and psychologically. 
There is a caveat to whether or not selecting foods based on the GI really offers any weight control benefits. Foods on the glycemic index are tested in isolation, which means they are tested while being ingested on their own with no accompanying foods.  Individual foods produce a wide variety of blood sugar responses and foods affect blood sugar differently when combined with other foods.  Researchers and practitioners question the utility of the GI because people do not tend to eat foods in isolation the way these foods are tested in the lab.
With that being said, low glycemic foods tend to be more minimally processed and higher in fiber. 
Bottom line: each macronutrient (protein, fats, carbs) is required by the body to function optimally and it is unwise and dangerous to completely cut out or severely limit any one of them. Weight gain isn’t caused by one food group - you can’t point the finger at any one of them, but you can point the finger at yourself.  If you are consuming more calories than you are burning each day, that will cause weight gain.  You can lose weight by decreasing your calorie intake or exercising more, or a combination of both is best.  If you have a chronic disease or other health complication, more may need to be done to see weight loss results. See a qualified professional for assistance with exercise and/or nutrition.
Check out this link to see a chart of 100 popular foods on the glycemic index: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic-index-and-glycemic-load-for-100-foods

The first thing you want to consider is exercise’s effect on hunger. Intense exercise might stimulate your appetite so that you end up eating all the calories you worked so hard to burn, some times even more. We call these types of people, “compensators” while others are “non-compensators” because they tend to eat the same or less following exercise. ​

This is just one way that exercise is linked to food consumption. The second, is what we like to call “moral licensing”. This is when you decide that you worked so hard during your work out that you “deserve” to eat that chocolate cake, and pasta, and cookies, etc. Don’t tell me you haven’t done this!! I certainly have. Sabotagery! 

Another way your body likes to mess with you is by down-regulating your activity throughout the day following intense exercise. You might workout so hard that you are physically exhausted and/or sore for the rest of the day and you lounge on the couch, which is going to effect your NEAT. NEAT is non-exercise activity thermogenesis - it refers to the calories we burn throughout the day doing physical activities other than sleeping, eating or structured exercise. NEAT can include things like fidgeting, shivering (it’s cold outside!), typing, cooking, housework, etc. You would be surprised how much this can contribute to your total calories burned for the day.  

This means there can be negative effects from that all-out HIIT workout you did today. You might move much less than you otherwise would have because you just don’t have the energy. Itʼs just another form of compensation, only instead of eating more between workouts, you burn fewer calories throughout the day. Either way, your energy balance stays about the same despite your workouts.

Your body is a tricky little machine that likes to be “efficient” and when you are trying to lose weight, you don’t want it to be efficient! Bottom line is that those “fat blasting” workouts don’t work as advertised. You might burn a ton of calories, but your body fights back by adjusting your appetite, activity levels and metabolism making it difficult to lose fat.

The best course of action is to commit to slow and steady lifestyle changes. It’s not going to happen overnight no matter what you hear on TV or see on Instagram. Be very cautious of claims for a quick fix or an intense fat burning workout. Shift your focus to increasing strength, endurance, energy levels, lean mass, and over time you will see long-term, sustainable results.