Birthday blog: How I Eat and Move to Stay Healthy and Strong (Postpartum)

I just turned 41 !! and - except for a recent sciatica episode - I feel great. Healthy, strong, happy and beautiful.

I proudly achknowledge that my healthy lifestyle has helped me recover super quickly after both my pregnancies, despite my age. So I want to share some of my daily diet and lifestyle practices that help me lose weight postpartum, and continue to feel healthy and strong.

My self-love practices also play a huge role. Even though I still have a few extra pounds from my last baby, they don’t bug me as they would have in my 20s or 30s, as I know they’ll come off soon (probably when I stop breastfeeding and my hunger goes down a bit), and I’ve felt overall good in my body, and even energetic despite middle-of-the-night wakings (due to my baby). And this is huge, as I’m someone who NEEDS her 8 hours of sleep. So waking in the night to feed my baby is tough for me, and I KNOW it means I need to nourish myself extra well.

Therefore, these past months, I have placed tons of emphasis on eating enough nutrients and NO deprivation, to have energy despite waking up at night, and to support my breastfeeding journey. (Breastfeeding can be exhausting, and in my case, makes me very hungry!). And I love that this focus on NOURISHMENT (and NO calorie counting) helped me lose my baby weight the first 2 months, and after that, has really fueled me and helped me feel amazing at 41.

With this in mind, I want to share a typical day for me currently (and in these past 6+ months) so you have an idea of what it looks like to be healthy and well-nourished without any calorie counting nor deprivation.

Let’s start with the basics. Some key things I practice regularly that help me stay healthy and feel good include:

  • MINDFUL BREAKS. Daily time for breathwork or a quick meditation (even if its deep breathing while breastfeeding or walking my baby outside, but its conscious and focused, and I’m alone or with my baby and at peace; this is key!)

  • HYDRATION. I hydrate like crazy. I have about 2 cups of water upon waking, then my lemon water, then my matcha latte, then another water, then my morning smoothie, then more water …. all before lunch! And I’ve been adding trace minerals to my water, and most afternoons I’ll also have one glass of water with 1/2 an LMNT pack.

  • MOVEMENT. Staying active, including (most days) both AM and PM movement (even if its a 10 minute walk with my baby, or 15 minute barre/pilates class)

  • FOCUS ON BUILDING MUSCLE, eating enough protein and strength training

  • Extra HEALTHY FATS & OMEGA-3s. I eat about 2-3 avocados per week, tons of almond, cashew and peanut butter, as well as raw nuts and seeds, I drizzle extra virgin olive oil on my foods, I add coconut yogurt to my smoothies, and more…!

  • PROTEIN. About 100 grams of protein per day (I estimate I get about 90-105 grams daily). Since I’m breastfeeding I’m at the upper range of my protein range, about 0,8-0,9 grams per “ideal” body weight of 118 pounds, but once I’m done breastfeeding and back to my normal weight, I’ll probably decrease that to average 90 grams of protein.

  • FIBER. Adding acacia fiber to my morning matcha latte and my afternoon decaf coffee latte, as well as flaxseeds to my daily smoothie (+ taking magnesium at night) to help me stay regular.

  • ALLOWING FOR NUTRITIOUS SWEET TREATS. Allowing myself to enjoy healthy desserts every day (usually twice a day!). I’m getting all the wonderful benefits of cacao and organic dark chocolate (and all the other superfoods that I add to my desserts!). Some balance is key.

  • PRIORITIZE SLEEP. Going to bed earlier than usual to make up for the fact that I wake up at night at least once to feed my baby (a few months ago I was waking up 4-5 times, now I’m down to just once most nights) but regardless I need an early bedtime in order to get my 7.5-8.8 horus of sleep. My Oura ring has helped me a lot with this!

  • EAT THE RAINBOW, filling my plates with TONS of greens and other colorful veggies.

Here is my typical day:

7am: I start my day feeding my baby, then I stay in bed doing some deep breaths.

I drink tons of water and take my probiotics and warm lemon water. I brush my teeth (while doing some leg lifts!) and aim to step outside even if its for a 5 minute meditation

8am: Matcha-Moringa Latte with collagen and acacia, pinch of cinnamon and my homemade almond milk.

8:30-9:15am: Workout (and pump!). Sometimes it’s a 20 minute workout only, other days its 40 minutes. Depending on my day, how much work I have, etc.

9:30am: Breakfast: a loaded protein smoothie bowl + vitamins (while I journal and set my intention for the day)

(Go to Balance Market / work/ clients)

12:15pm: Small nutritious protein-rich snack (while I feed my toddler and infant their lunch) + a few more glasses of water (here I sometimes have 1/2 packet of LMNT electrolytes with my water for extra hydration).

Examples of snacks: a few seed crackers with hummus or babaganoush and homemade kale chips, or a small serving of homemade tuna or salmon salad with seed crackers or celery and carrot sticks, tomato-avocado-bean salad, a small slice of my seed bread with cottage cheese, etc.

back to work…

2pm: Lunch (+ dessert). I always start my lunch with a green salad (usually a mix of lettuces, microgreens and some avocado) then follow it with animal protein with cooked veggies and sometimes a legume/grain. Some of my typical lunches include:

For dessert I have (usually) either a few squares organic dark chocolate 80%+ cacao and/or 2 energy balls. I switch up my energy ball recipes (I’m currently loving these) and sometimes make them into squares (like my peanut butter chocolate fudge squares)

3:30 or 4pm: Decaf latte (organic swiss water decaf always, with acacia, cinnamon and homemade almond milk). I sometimes grab a few cashews or a slice of my banana bread or zucchini bread too, though I know its best not to snack! (When I feel compelled to lose a bit of weight, I’ll cut out this snack!)

5:30pm: either I teach barre OR I go for a quick stroll with my baby outside

6:30pm: Dinner (usually vegetarian) + healthy dessert. My go to dinners include:

  • vegan macro bowl (using leftovers usually!)

  • veggie curry (or this one with garbanzos) and some cauliflower rice on the side

  • 2 egg frittata or omelet with tons of veggies and 2-3 tablespoons white or black beans mixed in + sliced avocado

  • any creamy vegan soup (made with bone broth or I’ll add collagen) with an avocado toast (on my gluten-free seed bread) sprinkled with seeds

  • a generous piece of my vegan lasagna, or 2 slices of my Pascualina (it’s like a spinach quiche) or veggie quinoa tahini bowl - all three from Balance Market - with an extra egg and a small side green salad

My healthy desserts after dinner are usually 2 energy balls or 1-2 of my peanut butter chocolate fudge squares, or a black bean brownie, or chia pudding with granola and dark chocolate chips, or avocado chocolate mousse, and lately my tofu chocolate mousse.

Note: I try to listen to my body and only eat dessert if I really really want it, but honestly, these days I always feel I “need it”. When I’m done breastfeeding I will do a mini detox (one of my signature ones, join me for my next one!) to help me lower my sweet cravings and cut out one of my daily desserts.

8:30pm: Kids are asleep and I start my evening routine. I get ready for bed, do my self care (face creams, etc), and either read a book or watch a show with my hubbie (and these days I pump again at this time!)

9:30-10pm: SLEEP. I aim to be asleep before 10pm (but it doesn’t always happen!). If I went to bed later and woke up more than once to feed my baby, I’ll do my best to stay in bed a little later and push back my morning routine, because I know how crucial my sleep is!

So there you have it. TONS of nutritious foods all day long (including desserts!), tons of hydration, and movement both in the morning and evening (most days!), plus always some time for myself and my self-care, my family, friends and work.

Just remember everyone is different, we each have unique bodies and metabolisms, so please honor your bioindividuality. But I hope this inspires you to “UP your nutrition and self-care game”, and release the need to do unnecessary dieting! Because when we properly nourish our bodies, yes we can still lose weight and feel great!

Love and Balanced Nutrition,

Mariana

My 5 best fitness tips

There’s been a recent wave of information pointing to all the benefits of heavier weight training, and it’s valid. The benefits are huge, especially for muscle building and weight loss.

However you go about it, building muscle is KEY for our metabolic health, and becomes even more important once we reach our 40s and we become more insulin sensitive. (We need to build more muscle so our glucose has somewhere to go instead of circulating in our bloodstream). Training to keep our muscles healthy and strong is not only important for how we look and feel, but also for blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance and weight loss!

BUT that doesn’t mean that walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, barre, pilates and yoga aren’t equally as amazing for your health! Same with most sports.

Keeping this in mind, I’m sharing my top 5 fitness tips to help guide you when you’re creating your exercise routine.

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One easy way to improve your health: Eat More Plants

If you want to lose weight, improve your skin, energy and mood, poop better, feel healthier and look better…. you should start by focusing on improving your GUT.

One key way to improve your gut microbiome by increasing the variety (and quantity) of plants you eat every week.

Studies (and experiments done by the American Gut Project) show that eating more than 30 different plants per week can significantly improve your microbiome diversity, supporting your overall gut health.

To help you boost your gut health, I’m sharing with you 7 different categories of plants (with tons of options in each category) and tips on incorporating them easily into your daily meals, in order to help you reach (or exceed) the target quota of 30 plants per week.

Lastly, I’ll share various tips on how I personally exceed those 30 plants every week!

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Healthy Breakfast Recipe: A new twist to your usual egg-avo toast

Today I’m sharing a SUPER EASY, HEALTHY and FILLING breakfast that I love and highly recommend to anyone. It’s my extra-nutritious take on an egg toast (and a different option to the popular avocado toast). This recipe contains a slice of seed bread, vegan cheese, kale and eggs.

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Want to Balance Your Hormones and Optimize your Weight? Take these 4 steps!

Hormonal balance requires a holistic approach, including:

  • DIET: nourishing your body with a nutrient-rich diet

  • EXERCISE: engaging in regular physical activity

  • REST & STRESS MANAGEMENT: prioritizing sleep + managing stress, and

  • MINIMIZING TOXIC LOAD: reducing exposure to environmental toxins (as well as internal toxins!); start by switching to cleaner household products, clean beauty, etc.

I delve quickly into each of these points, giving you actionable steps in each category so you can start to improve your hormonal balance and overall health ASAP!

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10 Coffee Alternatives for better hormonal health

Taking a break from caffeine can have HUGE positive benefits for our hormones and gut health. That being said, it can be hard to cut out coffee, and one thing that can make it easier is to have delicious, comforting alternatives to replace our usual coffee ritual.

Here are my favorite healthy coffee alternatives!

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10 Tips for an Excellent Postpartum Recovery

As I’m coming close to the end of my “4th trimester” after birthing my second baby, I want to share some tips to help with HEALING after giving birth (natural or c-section) - also applicable to help heal from any surgery or trauma. These are things that I myself applied and helped me immensely to have a great recovery.

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Healthy Burgers - 4 ways (gluten free and low carb!)

One of the main ways I like to enjoy red meat is making homemade burgers.

Burgers can actually be very healthy, as long as you choose lean, grass-fed beef, make them at home, and use healthier alternatives to serve your burgers (vs. standard bread and french fries!).

I alternate making burgers with healthier, more nutrient-dense and lower-carb alternatives for bread, including:

  • grilled eggplant “bread”

  • roasted large portobello mushroom “bread”

  • roasted sweet potato “bread”

  • large plantain “tostones” as bread (air fried vs. deep fried)

Also, I ALWAYS serve my burgers with salad and/or extra veggies, and use organic ketchup with no sugar added, mayo with avocado oil (with NO highly processed vegetable oils!), and organic mustard.

Here is my go-to burger recipe, with 4 different replacements for bread (Note: the plantain “bread” is the least healthy / most carbs, so it’s the one I make more for my husband!)

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World Health Day: 4 ways to embrace it and support your health

Happy World Health Day - a special day (April 7th) that serves as a reminder to prioritize our physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.

For me personally, my definition and understanding of health has changed a lot over these past 20 years since I’ve been immersed in the health and wellness world.

Given my journey, personal experience and years as a health caoch, this year I’ve drawn 4 key conclusions on how we can best prioritize our health (and then I share 4 things you can start doing today to put in practice)!

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Intermittent Fasting: 5 Tips to Make it Work for You

I’m a big fan of fasting, for the right people. It can have some impressive results, but after extensive research on the topic, and experience with many of my health coaching clients, I’ve realized it’s not for everyone.

Even if it IS for you, you might be doing some things wrong and not getting the full benefits.

Today I share and/5 key tips to optimize your Intermittent Fasting, and make it work for YOU. (Plus I explain when it’s just NOT for you, or how you can tailor it).

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Two ingredients to include in your healthy snacks (and 5 easy snack options for you and your kids!)

MOST of your typical go-to snacks, even that banana (and especially those packaged crackers/cookies/bars, etc. that are filled with sugar and preservatives) can lead to a large glucose spike. And this is something we need to minimize if we care about our health and our weight!

So today I’m sharing with you 5 of my go-to healthy, easy “sweet” snacks - for both me and my toddler.

NOTE: For all of these sweet snacks, in order to support blood sugar regulation, I add two KEY INGREDIENTS:

  1. NUT/SEED BUTTER (and/or a little nuts/seeds)

  2. a pinch of CINNAMON

Find out WHY, and get my 5 easy to prep snacks for when you’re on the rush and ant to be prepared for when the sugar craving comes in.

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Ready to Improve Your Health This Year? Start with these 7 Steps

If this year, you’ve realized YOUR HEALTH is a top priority, you know you want to positively and definitively upgrade your health this year (in a way that does not require suffering nor excess restriction, and actually LASTS), but you’re not sure where to start, I’m here to help!

After a decade of experience as a health coach, I can share 7 key steps to embark on a successful health journey.

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After a long day of work, we’re tired and have little brain capacity left to think of what healthy meals to make, so we often go for the easiest, quick, carb-based dishes like tortilla with cheese, or pasta, or order takeout from restaurants (which often contains processed carbs, even hidden sugars and inflammatory oils).

But these dinners can wreak havoc on our health!

Plus, we are generally, more susceptible to blood sugar spikes at night, so it’s even more important to be careful with carbs at dinner time. Focusing on blood-sugar balancing meals at dinnertime is KEY for our metabolic health, our weight, our sleep and our energy levels.

The good news is, there are many healthy, delicious low-carb dinner recipes that are also super easy, quick, and loaded with flavor and nutrients to support our health, and filling enough to satisfy us after a long day.

Today I’m sharing 3 of my favorite low-carb dinners (actually 4 recipes!) that keep my blood sugar stable and are super quick and simple to make! PLUS, they are moslty detox-friendly!

  1. LETTUCE CUPS – two ways

    1. LETTUCE CUPS WITH EGG SALAD

    2. LETTUCE CUPS WITH TUNA SALAD (OR CHICKEN OR CHICKPEA SALAD)

  2. EGGS WITH GREENS AND BEANS

  3. CREAMY ONE POT CAULIFLOWER SOUP - WITH SEED CRACKERS AND VEGAN CHEESE*

*the soup is the only recipe that takes more than 10 minutes, BUT the recipe makes 3 to 4 portions so it’s great to make once and enjoy twice in the week (and its still one of the quickest soups to make, and all in one pot).

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After your Thanksgiving meal (or any large dinner) you will likely feel lower in energy, heavy, bloated and a bit guilty. I urge you to let go of the guilt, be thankful for your delicious meal, and instead, just focus on getting your body back on (a healthy) track.

The day after your big meal, follow these 9 tips to boost your metabolism, aid your digestion, and get yourself feeling light again!

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WHY ITS HELPFUL TO REMOVE CERTAIN FOODS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME

While I am a big believer in an inclusive, varied and balanced diet, there are times when we are unknowingly consuming foods that are taxing our beautiful bodies and causing us to gain weight or just not feel our best.

For this reason, I am also a big believer in doing a periodic cleanse (like my 10 day detox) as a mini RESET, and an opportunity to check in with our bodies and see what might be affecting us.

The thing is, many of the foods we eat every day contain a ton of pesticides, and/or have an acidifying effect on the body, and/or are mucus-forming, and/or are simply difficult to digest. By avoiding these foods for 10+ days, you give your digestion a pause from these potentially inflammatory foods (while nourishing your body with an extra dose of superfoods, vitamins, minerals and proteins that help your body detox), and will be in a good place to re-introduce potentially triggering foods and see how they affect you.

LEARN MORE about what we eliminate and WHY (it’s useful info so don’t miss out!) in today’s blog…

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A Healthy, Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!! This is such a fun time especially for the kids, but candies and sugary treats are floating around everywhere, and the sugar temptation is huge! It's once a year, so enjoy this funky spooky holiday... but make this year a HEALTHIER one - for both you and your family.

It CAN be done with just a bit more AWARENESS. Today I’m sharing TIPS on keeping your body healthy this Halloween, plus better alternatives to traditional Halloween candy (and more). Check out all my links, and please share with your family and friends so they can stay healthy, too!

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Seed & Tea Cycling for Hormonal Balance

Both Seed cycling and Tea cycling are 2 of the easiest ways we can help support our hormones in a gentle way (especially when combined with other diet/lifestyle habits to support hormonal balance). The idea is to use different seeds and teas to help support our hormones in the different stages of our cycle to help regulate our cycles and minimize PMS. It can also be beneficial for women with PCOS and women trying to get pregnant naturally.

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Cycle Syncing – How to Eat & Move During Each Phase of Your Cycle

As women, in order to feel our best and support our health, it’s important to understand our menstrual cycle and connect with the different stages and the hormonal fluctuations that accompany each stage.

This is the basis for what we call “Cycle Syncing” - which teaches us to connect with how our body shifts throughout our cycle, and use these changes to our benefit. It involves aligning lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, social commitments and more, in accordance with the different phases of your cycle to improve hormone balance, alleviate common PMS symptoms, improve fertility, and more.

The result is an increased sense of health, balance and connection to our femininity in our day to day.

Today I share my overall basic guide to cycle syncing to get you on your path to feeling better at every stage in your cycle, as well as improving your femininity and the connection to your body.

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A Key Element for a Healthy, Happy Brain (and 5 steps to take now)

The gut-brain connection is extremely powerful, which means that a huge part of having a healthy mind is having a healthy “gut”.

If you’ve ever felt butterflies in your stomach when nervous, or nauseous when scared, you KNOW your gut is sensitive to your emotions and stress. And the reverse is also true. The health of our gut has a direct effect on our brain and mood. Poor digestion from too much processed foods, bad food combinations, or poor elimination (ex. not pooping properly) can have a huge negative impact on your mood, energy levels, mental clarity (and more!).

SO if you want to have a healthy, happy brain, you need to start by having a healthy GUT! Here are 5 steps to get you started…

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Holistic Health & Bioindividuality Principles: 11 Steps

I like to share various “health & wellness tools” that have worked for me and many of my clients. I may educate on reserched benefits of some of nature’s superfoods, as well as share tips and suggestions that generally support a healthy DIGESTION, HORMONAL REGULATION, BLOOD SUGAR BALANCE, and overall better health. However, everyone is different and it’s so important to honor your bioindividuality, so if anything doesn’t ring true to you, then do NOT apply it!

Try to place more focus on being healthy and FEELING good versus just losing weight. Enjoy your (healthy) food, enjoy your exercise, and view any/all of your healthy habits as ways to give LOVE to your beautiful, unique body. DO NOT do anything that is making you suffer.

With that in mind, here are 11 health & wellness “guidelines” that I follow and believe in…

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