Check out what drives Coach Laura to be her best!

What drives me in the gym as a member and a coach?

Hi readers! For those of you that haven’t taken my class, my name is Laura Nowell and I am obsessed with fitness. I didn’t always have a love for fitness or the gym. In fact it was always a struggle to motivate myself to get to the gym and it was very easy to find an excuse not to go (everyone nodding their heads in agreement?). I finally fell in love with fitness when I got into a good routine and found a program that worked for me. From there it was simple. After I got into the grove of things my next step was to find a community of people who were kind of like me and were on some fitness journey.

When you first google the term community the second definition to appear states “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”. Isn’t that what our gym is all about? Whether you go with a friend, you meet a new friend there or your coach is your friend, we all have a common goal: attitude, our health and fitness. So when you are going to lace up those sneakers or thinking about snoozing your alarm at 5 a.m, remember the community that is there waiting for you.

So that’s what drives me to go to the gym…but what about coaching? For me, coaching with the community in mind is step one. Step two is knowing your audience. Whether there is an athlete prepping for a competition, or someone brand new to fitness, every person needs to be coached. They are all a part of the community, though what they need from me may differ. From there, and one of my new favorite things I learned from my nutritional coach (yes, I also have a coach), is the meaning of the term coach. The term refers to a coach and buggy; the job of the coach and buggy was to pick someone up from where they are and bring them to where they want to go. That’s what a coach’s job is all about. I am motivated by this idea of helping people get to their goals.

I hope to see you at my class on Tuesdays at 5:30 and 6:30 pm

Coach Laura

Welcome to winter!

Welcome to winter. Everything is frozen, so why not keep your food that way too?!

Whenever I have tube to indulge my love of cooking, I always make 2-3 meals worth while I’m at it, freezing at least one means worth for another day. That way I always have a healthy meal ready, and don’t have to rely on fast foods, quick means or pizza delivery.

I, for one, actually love winter. I know it’s not a popular opinion, but hey, where we are, you either got to embrace it or live through 4 long months of misery. It is definitely harder to get out of a warm bed and head out into the cold to get your workout in. But dang, it sure feels good to take that hot shower after and get into your sweats after you sweat!

My other issue with winter: how hard it is to find great quality, fresh, healthy produce. Without breaking the bank. Let’s face it, living in New England, there just isn’t local fresh fruits and veggies this time of year. Instead of wasting money on mediocre food, go with the winter flow and buy frozen! Yes frozen fruits and vegetables have all the same amazing health benefits as fresh (possibly even more than fresh in winter) AND they last much longer. And the taste, color, and flavor are great.

I love to buy big bags of organic blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and mango from the store to add to shakes, yogurt, oatmeal, or protein pancakes/waffles. Frozen spinach, kale, broccoli, and Tri color pepper strips (how annoying is cutting up peppers?) are always in my freezer to add to stir fry, egg dishes, pastas, soups, as sides etc.

I love to stock up when I actually brave the cold and leave the house (less trips to the grocery store) That way i ALWAYS have healthy food right at my fingertips, use what you need, save the rest for another time. No more waste! No prepping, washing or chopping! It’s all been done for you.

You really can’t go wrong, just be sure you give the label a quick read to be sure you aren’t purchasing a product with added sugar or sauces. Keep it simple. You body and wallet will benefit.

Stay warm!  xo Coach Julie

Coach Jen’s Crustless Egg White Quiche

I’m a big fan of egg whites…seems like a trend at NV haha!

They are EASY and QUICK…and delicious!

This recipe is so easy its scary, enjoy! xo Jen

EGG WHITE CRUSTLESS QUICHE

Preheat oven to 375

In a glass pie dish layer

2 cups frozen spinach

1 large egg white carton

A few slices of turkey bacon

Sprinkle with shredded cheese (lately I have been using vegan cheese and it is delicious!)

One pot – thai chicken with miracle noodles!

Ok so if you havent tried miracle noodles (just google them), you are seriously missing out!!!

Check out this recipe I made, my whole family loved it!

Enjoy! xo Jen

BUT… make sure you rinse them well, since they are a natural root they do have a weird smell but once you rinse and cook they are odorless.

ONE POT THAI NOODLES and CHICKEN

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons water
6 cups sodium free organic chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
4 chicken breast (I had mine pre cooked), chopped up
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 (16 ounce) package miracle noodles
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Pour chicken broth into a large pot and stir cornstarch mixture, soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut oil, ginger, garlic, and coriander into broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
Place noodles in the boiling sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until noodles are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir zucchini, red bell pepper, and chicken into sauce. Bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer until vegetables are just become tender, about 5 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes to thicken. Serve garnished with crushed peanuts and cilantro.