‘Ask a pro’ is a special A Sizable Apple feature geared to bring quality information to readers through professionals in the health and nutrition field.
Marissa Schiesser is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner in Canada. Her site, ‘A Healthier Me’ has information for workshops; recipes and free stuff aiming at helping women feel better and get in shape.
A Sizable Apple: Can you tell me about yourself and your practice?
Marissa: I have a passion for teaching busy people the nutrition and lifestyle know how and the mindset to reach their health goals. I like to make it easy and simple by creating new positive and healthy habits that simply cause the old habits that are no longer serving you to slide away. There is a misconception that [meeting nutrition goals] has to be complicated, painful and hard. I don't believe in no pain, no gain. Life is about joy, not pain. It brings me joy to see the delight and progress that my clients go through. This is not to say that they don't put in any effort, they do have to work on it. There is no magic bullet, believe me I have searched for it and been disappointed many times. To have real change requires commitment and effort. This can come in the form of joy though and that is where I come in with support knowledge and understanding.
ASA: Explain the 'A Healthier Me' system?
Marissa: The Healthier Me System™ is what I developed and use with each of my clients to help them achieve their goals. It has been the secret to creating lasting changes for me and my clients. By working through each of these steps, over several months, you will achieve more energy, less stress, a stronger sense of yourself and an understanding of what makes your body healthy. I want to help you get inner calm, joy and health. These are the things that I have found to be vital to reaching and staying with your health goals.
1. Make your health and wellness a priority.
2. Eat and live mindfully.
3. Support your body and balance your hormones.
4. Get the stress out and the cravings that go with it.
5. Learn how to shop for quality foods.
6. Get emotional support.
7. Feed your mind as well as your body.
8. Cleanse your body and mind.
9. Create a healthy home and work environment.
10. Maintain a simple program for a healthy life.
ASA: What are some of the most common issues clients come to you with, and what are some solutions you offer?
Marissa: Most of my clients are busy women with not a lot of time for themselves. They almost always have some form of PMS, have digestive complaints, cravings and high stress. I walk them through and give them support by strengthening their bodies first and then cleansing out the stuff that is making them feel bad, I end with a supportive maintenance program that empowers them and makes them independent and in control of their health. When the body is supported with the nutrients it needs it does not scream out for more and it provides balance in the mind.
ASA: I like A Sizable Apple readers to understand what the nutrition and fitness routines of pros are, can you share your typical workout routine and also nutritional habits with my readers?
Marissa: I love to let others know what I am doing because it helps to motivate them and know what is possible. My routine is ever changing as I learn and progress and as my mood and interests change. At the moment I get 30-60 minutes of exercise every day. This is usually in the form of hiking through the woods behind my house. I also do a bit of yoga and qi gong to keep the energy flowing and my muscles stretched and limber. When it starts to get dry and sunny I will be out a bit more doing some rock climbing and biking; nothing crazy though. I also make sure that I have time every day to sit and let my mind be present and get myself grounded with meditation. Meditation also comes while I am hiking in the forest; you don't have to sit and be quiet and still for meditation, you just have to be present.
As for my nutrition, I start every day with a big glass of water, sometimes with lemon, to flush out my system and to wake it up. I then have a cup of herb tea followed by breakfast, which varies. Right now I am eating soaked muesli. I drink a lot of water and herbal tea throughout the day. I have some sort of snack in the morning, usually fruit or a granola bar/cookie I made. For lunch I have leftovers or eggs with a green veggie and toast or salad with beans or goat feta. I get as many veggies in as I can both raw and cooked. I will have another snack in the afternoon and then for dinner I have veggies, a grain, sometimes beans or meat or goat cheese. You can see some of the meals I make on my blog. It really varies and I like to be creative with cooking.
ASA: What kind of tips do you have for busy women who are looking at easy to manage tips to starting the process of getting into shape?
Marissa: 3 quick tips to bring greater ease and health to your life are:
Eat food in its whole and unprocessed for as much as possible. Have vegetables or fruit with every meal and add fiber to your meals in the form of whole grains, nuts and seeds. Try new whole foods such as quinoa, flax seeds and rappini. If you are not sure how to cook them and want inspiration take a look at my recipes.
Drink water. I know this is obvious but it doesn't always happen. Dehydration is the biggest cause of cravings. If you are craving something sweet or carb filled and you know that you should not be hungry have a glass of water. The craving will usually subside. Caffeine is something that is very dehydrating and causes stress in the body. If you are not ready to let go of it yet please drink 2 extra glasses of water for every cup of coffee.
The biggest factor to not being healthy or not being able to reach your goals is stress. Stress will stop you every time; it will create cravings, blood sugar ups and downs, weight gain and more. Stress is our reaction to a situation and we can change that reaction. Start by remembering to breathe and take a step back before reacting. Oxygen will immediately calm your body.
ASA: What are common misconceptions you see of women trying to get healthy? What solutions do you have for those misconceptions?
Marissa: Searching for one solution that covers it all and cures all. There are so many diets and solutions out there that claim to fix all of your problems it can be overwhelming. The biggest thing to realize is that we are all different, our biochemistry is different and therefore our needs are different. The biggest thing you can do is to learn how to read your own internal "GPS" system, it will guide you and always let you know what is best for you. Just because something worked incredibly for your friend doesn't mean it will for you.
You can learn how to listen to your body and follow it, that is something I work with my clients on. If you would like to get started please take a look at my upcoming phone workshops.
Thanks so much for sharing this information and all the great info that you give to your readers. I would like to offer your readers a FREE download of my past workshop Eat Well on the Go. You can get it here (download click the download button or right click and save).
