Today, a break from my recent “How to use X” series to focus on (drum roll please…) nutrition! Why? After over 15 years in the fitness field, I know one thing for certain: Unless you have impeccable genetics and are in your prime, training alone will not ensure you reach your fitness goals! Here and in the next blog I will outline 10 simple tips for healthy, nutritious eating.

It’s so easy for us to go back to old habits when we are tired & stressed….that’s why our snacks (especially in the evenings) often look the same. The solution? Plan ahead and have some snack options on hand, so when you are tired or stressed you have something already in the fridge (or cupboard) to easily reach for. Give these coconut oatmeal balls a try.

We have all been there – you are so busy running between errands, kids' activities, work meetings and 1001 competing priorities that you grab some food on the go and wolf it down. You barely remember the first couple bites and now it’s all gone. Today I want to share with you the simplest and quite possibly the most effective nutritional habit that you can implement in your life, which can have a massive impact.

A balanced plate (and diet) can go a long way in helping you achieve your weight-loss or health-related goals. But what does a balance plate look like? Do you know how much carbs, protein, veggies and healthy fats you should have on your plate? And if you do have an idea, how do you measure that without looking like a food-obsessed freak?!

Of meals that I have missed in my life, breakfast isn’t one of them. I was never one of those people who can forego the first glorious meal of the day and wait until lunch for my first chance to dig into some real food. A healthy, well-rounded breakfast helps me think clearer, focus on morning tasks, perform better when doing a workout or going for a run and does in fact keep me from eating everything in site when 11 or 12 o’clock rolls around. Given that I have such a love of breakfast I thought I would share my three favourite breakfast options.

My current pet peeve is the restaurant salad. Too many of us are fooled into believing that just because something is called a salad it is the healthy choice. Do NOT be fooled—the salad is too often a perfect example of what I call an “unhealthy healthy” food—sneaky foods that seem healthy but that end up stealthily sabotaging progress! Unhealthy healthy foods—unlike ice cream—tend to slide under the radar and inadvertently sabotage progress.

I really dislike any iteration of the concept that anyone should lose weight or exercise to become a "whole new" person. If I gained weight or adopted unhealthy habits I would never want to be a "whole new me." I like me. Instead I would work to become a version of me who loves myself enough to exercise and consume healthy food.

This year instead of hoping to be a "whole new you," decide to become a version of yourself who exercises and eats well. You are enough. You are worthy. Your body is not a garbage can, so don't put garbage food into it. Your health is important, so prioritize daily movement.

December can be a tricky health month. But you don't have to fall completely off of your health horse. Instead "manage" December with these four simple tricks - live by my "love it" rule, always take a "mindfulness moment" before you eat anything, make simple substitutions whenever possible and make movement a "non-negotiable."

So, I wrote a book! It is called Finding Your Fit. Needless to say, I am pretty excited! The book hits stores October 1st, 2016. I feel like a kid getting ready for Christmas; I am counting down the days until I can walk into Indigo and say "Where would I find Kathleen Trotter's new book?" I am assuming the answer will be "In the health and wellness section," but maybe I will get lucky and it will be on one of the "staff recommendation" tables. Fingers crossed!

If I had to pick the most important thing I've learned over the past couple of years, it would be, "No matter how good, how accessible, or how cheap a piece of fitness equipment is, if a person does not 'start' or 'want to start,' then nothing happens. I've even wirtten about it here "

This is why I love a new book to be released this October by Canada's fitness information leader - Kathleen Trotter – as it addresses this very issue.It is entitled, "Finding Your Fit; A Compassionate Trainer's Guide to Making Fitness a Lifelong Habit."