by Candice Scott | Jul 29, 2020 | Health, Nutrition
My Recent Smoothie Obsession :
So no idea why this is my new thing. I go through phases, maybe you do too where you love something then you transition to eating something else (I am talking about food this time lol).
I will get on routine where I eat the same thing for breakfast over and over and then some how be inspired to change it up. This is no different.
If you have followed me at all you know I eat alot of overnight oats. I love the texture and taste of that with fruit, my protein, and nut butter and flax seed, or other seeds etc. Maybe it is the summer time and heat but I recently started having more smoothies – I am talking fully blended (I still want that spoon action though).
You may be familiar with the Fab Four smoothie RD – @bewellwithKelly created for her clients and it went mainstream. Well this is very very similar- but I use my own stuff lol.
I love this smoothie for a few reasons :
Taste (duh)
Its packed with healthy fiber to keep me fuller longer so no snacking.
I can eat it on the go (sometimes) and if I make it less thick I can totally drink it in the car.
I am getting all of my vitamins needs along with important antioxidants and immune boosting minerals.
I can easily change up the combo and still get the same benefits.
So what is in this thing I am now digging so much??
It consists of a breakdown that is pretty simple:
Some sort of plant based protein or collagen/ bone broth style protein powder (I use my DNS every day!)
- this is great for recovery and muscle and bone health as well as gut health if you are using a bone broth or collagen variety) – side note ALWAYS look at the ingredients if it is loaded with stuff you cannot pronounce then run! Here are some of my favorites.
Some sort of Fruit like a berry 1/4-1/2 cup frozen is preferred
- Berries like strawberries, blueberries and cherries are great because they are low on the glycemic index so they wont spike blood sugar like some can. They are also great for antioxidant health and benefits. Fighting free radicals and even skin!
Greens – about 1 cup (can be frozen or fresh) (anything like spinach, kale, even zucchini works well)
- You know you need your greens (you could also use a greens powder if that is more your jam like this one – however make sure you pay attention to what is in it because the flavors of that plus the smoothie may not exactly um…. taste all that great.
Healthy fat – nut or seed butter or avocado or coconut oil (I alternate between sunflower butter, cashew and avocado)
- We NEED healthy fats. They help support our joints, our digestion and can even help our blood and brain health too. With butters make sure to look at the label, the less sugar and the less added junk the better. You also want to steer away from any canola and even palm oil for some.
Fiber from hemp/flax or chia seeds (also good doses of omega 3’s too!) (love these)
- Chia seeds can give you a crunchier taste and make it a little thicker, hemp and flax are both more nutty and hemp even provides a great plant based protein to the mix. I would aim for 1 TBSP of one of these.
1 scoop of collagen powder (unless you are using it for your protein)
- ( I love primal kitchen foods collagen – you can save with code CANDICECFITNESS at checkout here )
- Collagen is GREAT for our overall health – it supports our joints and ligaments and tendons and can help rebuild the gut lining too. Again like everything else – look at those labels!!
Stevia or natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup
- Natural is always the best bet when it comes to sweeteners, however you still want to be mindful when using honey or maple syrup or something like agave- they are really heavy in natural sugars and too much of a good thing IS possible – aim for a tsp or so.
Milk of preference
- I like milkadamia or califia farms – you can also use a soy or flax or coconut just pay attention so you are not overdoing one thing – like coconut milk then coconut oil, etc.
Overall smoothies like this are a great easy option to get nutrient dense foods in first thing in the morning. To set your day off on the right foot if you will. You should stay fuller longer due to all the fiber too! You can always get creative and add spices like cinnamon or turmeric or even ginger if that is more your jam.
by Candice Scott | Apr 5, 2020 | Health
Top 6 Immune Boosting Tips
Need some every day things you can do to help boost your immune system? Right now pretty sure we ALL do! The six things below are great EASY ways to help. And the best part is most of us do these things already.
1 – Hydrate and add some Vitamin C
Hydration is something we should ALL focus on each and every day regardless of a pandemic situation. Hydration keeps our cells healthy. It helps our digestive system our circulatory system our stress response our bodies ability to filter things out (aka bad stuff). It helps with our metabolism function too. Vitamin C is also showing some promising ability to help fight coronavirus and rightly so. It has always been known to be a immune boosting supplement and something we all need to stay healthy. It helps reverse and decrease inflammation within us due to its potent antioxidant compounds. You can find some facts on that here.
Something that helps you get both HYDRATION AND VITAMIN C is Liquid IV and it is something I use everyday. Find out more about it here.
2- Sleep
We all know sleep is important. However do you realize how important it is for our immune health? Sleep is the time when our body recharges and detoxes the most. You know how when you are sick you tend to sleep more? It is because your body is fighting inside of you to knock down the illness. That is the time when you really want to rest because it helps your immune system do its job and you are not taking energy from it by doing other things. You actually do a reset if you will when you sleep. You want quality sleep though as it is not all created equal. Aim to get 7-8 hours a night. Right now should be a rather easy time to get it done too. I mean lets be honest, most of us do not have a whole lot on the to do list right now. It also helps decrease stress which in turn decreases inflammation which can help us ward off invaders if you will.
More on sleep? You can read about that in my older blog – Don’t skimp on sleep
3- Wash your hands
If you have not heard recently the importance of this you may be living under a rock. But washing hands is the prime way to protect yourself. Warm water. 30 seconds or sing happy birthday or abc’s one or two times through. Washing hands also helps not eliminate ALL bacteria (remember some is good for us) unlike alot of hand sanitizers do as they’re harsher. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html
4- Eat Real Food
Real food = organic (if you can) fruits, veggies, non farm raised fish, grass fed/organic meets and eggs. Real food is more packed with nutrients and vitamins our body needs. The vitamins and minerals help our immune system stay strong and fight off things we are worried about right now. These foods nourish our bodies vs. cause inflammation and harm most processed ones do. When our body is able to work at optimal capacity we are able to stay strong and fight off “invaders” better.
Here are some facts on inflammation fighting foods in an older blog I did. Inflammation Fighting Foods
5- Exercise
Exercise keeps us healthy! This does not mean we have to go all out and super hard with workouts. Simple movement can help too. It just depends on you. A rule of thumb I like to tell clients is that working out should make you feel better not worse. If you are taxed for a day or two after a workout you went too hard. Find something you enjoy, or find someone that can help you.
If you are interested in learning more about working out and inflammation fighting check out this blog – Key to lowering inflammation through your workouts.
You can also tryout my four week at home program and save $10 with code CHANGEUP at check out. (head to the link below)
6- Add in quality supplements to fill in the gaps
Supplementation is exactly that. Supplement your diet, supplement your body and add in what you may be missing. Quality is key here though. The best ones for immune health tend to be Vitamin C, Zinc, Magnesium, Daily Nutritional Support (with all vitamins you need) , Glutamine is great, Elderberry and Oregano Oil.
Here is a list of my faves. Favorite Supplements for Immune Health.
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*This page may include links with partners that I could receive commissions on.*
by Candice Scott | Apr 2, 2020 | Lifestyle, Motivation
When I hear the word pivot for some reason it gives me slight anxiety and excitement…. Not sure why but it does. To be completely transparent I don’t think I really even knew what it meant until recently (in terms of business/life).
Looking in the mirror now though and what life has become the past month, it is a very weird reality. How in the world did we get here? When did everything just stop? When did life as we know it stop? It all happened so fast.
I watch people on TV and think… wow look how close they are…. I mean really? Who would have thought I would watch a movie or tv show and relate it to social distancing.
Everyone has been hit hard. Some harder than others. My husband just got furloughed today actually and it sucks. But thankfully he will still have a job to go back to after all of this and his company has been pretty supportive. Then there is my job, and were pivoting really comes in. I go from working primarily with clients 1 on 1 to not even seeing some of them and others I train via facetime. Not to mention income has gone down substantially. I am now working on pivoting to make some extra in some way in hopes that this stimulus bill helps more want to train in some way again. Like so many others we have had to postpone payments and things we NEVER imagined ourselves doing. We were about to put money down to build our dream home literally right before this happened, thankfully we did not. There is the weird reality of not even going out or seeing friends except via facetime or zoom. No restaurants, dinners in are the only option now. Not even able to go see our parents because they are older. No movies, alot of parks are closed, no sports, no school, no graduation, no vacation.
Then there are the things in every day life we have changed, for the better.
Like living on a budget
Reading more
Investing in learning more and really thinking about business and how to grow.
Chad and I have been praying together. Yall that is amazing I never thought I would be strong enough to pray with someone out loud. Just ask anyone who has ever been to small group with me…. I was always the one who would pass on praying out loud for everyone. I would in my head…. just not out loud. Nope. This is a major step.
I am speaking to friends more.
Sleeping more.
Cleaning more. (I hate cleaning)
Cooking at home more.
My dog is the happiest.
I go on more walks.
I feel more at peace in a sense…. stressed sure, but at peace at the same time.
ITS SO SURREAL.
I am not writing this to complain, I am writing to also share what I think are some positive pivots if you will.
You see I truly believe this is all happening for a reason. It is all teaching us something. The whole world may have been going in the wrong direction and we needed to come together. The only way to do that is to stop everything, level the playing field in a sense and then build back up with brand new attitudes that I think we all will have. Just envisioning the day when I can see my family and friends again at a restaurant or plan a vacation seems surreal now. I wonder what it will be like, how excited I will be.
These challenging times are unprecedented but I believe we will get through this. I am thankful to have stayed pretty healthy and my family has too and hopefully it stays that way. I just want to emphasize to all of you who have experienced the virus first hand my prayers are with you. To all those who are working the front lines, my prayers are with you. You all who are out doing good right now… thank you.
Lets keep our head up, stay focused on the good we can find each day. And keep pressing forward. C
And if you want some help getting going and keeping with goals during this time. Set up a time for your FREE consultation with me.
by Candice Scott | Mar 23, 2020 | Health, Lifestyle, Motivation
I am currently sitting on my couch writing this and thinking how insane life is currently. TV shows are being broadcasted via Zoom or Facetime, I am training clients via Facetime daily now, my husband job is 100% stress right now, and most of the world is in quarantine. What is happening??
Well we all know what is happening and it is called COVID-19, something a few weeks ago we thought was just something that was in Asia and some of Europe. But we were wrong.
I know I am probably one of the rare ones in saying this but I have hope right now. I seriously do. Amongst the craziness I know we will come through stronger. I am not saying I do not worry, because of course I do, income is down, stock market is down, I mean we were about to buy a house now we do not know if we will even be making half of what we did last year…. and we intended to do better this year! There are a lot of unknowns… but I do have faith that we will prevail. I mean maybe God wanted to get our attention, maybe He wanted to tell us to slow down and stop putting our hopes and dreams in money and technology and other people…. religious or not you cannot help but think that something God or the universe is trying to tell us all something. I think this can be used for our good, and that is part of the reason I do have faith. Bad things happen all the time (although this may be one of the worst for us all) most of the time we learn from the bad and become better humans, I mean am I not right?
So back to what this article is really about – how to destress when everything is falling apart. Below I have 10 things I believe can truly help. I would love for you to try them for yourself.
Start your day with thankfulness– 
This is something that has helped me tremendously. That is gratitude. We all I am sure have gratitude for something, however doing a gratitude journal is something you should try during this time. In the morning first thing before you do ANYTHING else, think of 5 things you have and are thankful for that very day. Write them down and take it a step further. This can literally be a game changer.
Move – Another thing to do first thing in the morning, if you can start your day with thankfulness THEN simple movement you might see a 180 in your mindset. Look up some studies I am serious. Simple stretching like these are a great way to get going in the morning. It gets your blood flowing and some endorphins going too. Nothing too crazy but just gentle movement.
Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while – Think of someone who may be lonely right now, someone who may just want to talk or going through a tough time. Maybe you know someone who is or has been affected personally by COVID-19. Reach out. Doing this can make not only them feel better but also you. And if they can do it via facetime then do it that way. There is something about just seeing someones face that can make a difference.
Deep Breathe – Get those stress and cortisol levels down. SERIOUSLY.It helps our immune system too. Do this 5x – Inhale DEEEPLY for 5-6 counts, hold your breath for 2 counts then exhale 4 counts. Focus on your breath when you do. Find out more about this one here.
Read a book – Not a reader? Listen to one. Or read a magazine. So many of us NEVER have time to do these things so now is the time to relax and take advantage of it. 
Check out my list of some of my favorites if you need some inspiration! FAVORITES
Workout – No doubt that working out helps our attitudes and our immune systems. There are plenty of things you can do at home even without any equipment. Check out my two workout plans that can be done entirely at home with minimal equipment (use code CHANGEUP to save $10!). 
Virtual Training
Do NOT watch the news when you first get up in the am or right before bed. – I think this should go without saying. We want to meditate on the good not the bad. I am not saying that we should not watch the news at all, I am simply saying that we need to take a break from it for about an hour before we try to sleep (atleast).
Keep a schedule even when working at home or when doing things that aren’t the “norm” – Schedule is key to normalcy. Even if you are someone who normally hates them. Try to keep a routine as best you can. It could go something like wake up at x time – thankfulness/morning pages at x time- stretch at x time – emails at x time – calls at x time- workout at x time – dinner at x time- read at x time. Whatever you do day to day try to keep it that way even while at home.
Find someone to help or an animal (virtually) – If you are in a place where you can help someone right now, do it. It will literally make you feel so much better. Even if it is not financially. Maybe you can go grocery shopping for someone. Maybe you can buy some home made items from someone or support a local business. Tip someone more than normal. If you are able to foster an animal you can still do that in a lot of places right now too. And what better a time than now with you working from home!
Reread or rethink about your 5 thankful things right before you go to bed. – Get that mindset right.
The little things right now are what matter most. Lets try not to forget that!
Have anything you want to hear about right now? Let me know!
Message me – candicecfitness@gmail.com
by Candice Scott | Mar 16, 2020 | Health, Workouts
This time in our world is just crazy. Never in my life did I think something like this could happen. I am sure you somewhat agree….
With “social distancing” and trying to really stay healthy we are going to not be in gyms and more than likely aiming to get creative at home. Going virtual possibly or working with trainers or friends remotely. This is exactly why I created this program. For those of us who may not have much equipment at home or maybe no fancy bike…. This program is for you if you are at a loss of what to do, are at ANY fitness level (there is a beginner, intermediate, advanced program). You need minimal equipment and if you do not have something you can omit it, OR if you DO have something you can add it. It is simple but will help us stay on track.
There is a schedule to follow each week (this is four weeks long just in case!).
There are descriptions of each workout and exercise along with photos and some videos (link in the photo of the exercise bank).
You get 4-5 workouts a week broken into cardio and strength along with stretching.
So again no matter the fitness level, one of these can work for you! And for only $30 this is a STEAL…… a month of workouts for less than you would pay for most gyms (and no plan mind you). You can totally lose weight with this- but if you want a little extra help I am also offering a consult via skype or Google hangouts to help you with that and if you are interested in cycle syncing as well. If you are interested in adding that on you can do so when purchasing or simply reach out to me and let me know and we can set it up! Again I hope this gives you a little hope and can help you stay focused. We will ALL get through this! Stay healthy guys! C
Get it below! (and ps use code CHANGEUP to save $10 at checkout!)
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