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Unraveling the Mystery of Stress Eating: Why We Do It and How to Break Free
Amy Barnette Amy Barnette

Unraveling the Mystery of Stress Eating: Why We Do It and How to Break Free

Stress eating – we've all been there. The sudden urge to devour a bag of chips or indulge in a tub of ice cream when life gets tough. But why is stress eating so common? And what's happening in our bodies and our minds when we succumb to the siren call of comfort foods?

Uncover the secrets behind those sudden cravings for comfort foods and learn the science behind why stress often leads us to the cookie jar. From the cortisol connection to the addictive nature of comfort foods, this post unveils the mysteries and provides actionable strategies to break free!

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5 Ways to Cultivate a More Positive Mindset
Wisdom Amy Barnette Wisdom Amy Barnette

5 Ways to Cultivate a More Positive Mindset

Cultivating a positive mindset can be difficult if you tend to lean toward negativity - you can’t just flip a switch and “be positive”. If you struggle with slipping into a negative mindset, here are 5 things you can try to create a more positive outlook.

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Cracking the Code: Unveiling the Real Reason We Don't Achieve Our Goals
Wisdom Amy Barnette Wisdom Amy Barnette

Cracking the Code: Unveiling the Real Reason We Don't Achieve Our Goals

Take a dive into the intricacies of goal-setting and unravel some of the most common psychological and emotional barriers that can hinder the path to success. Whether you're striving for fitness milestones, career triumphs, or personal growth, this blog post will help you redefine how you approach goal achievement and provide some insight into the missing link between where you are now and where you want to be.

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Sports Nutrition: Eating For Exercise and Fitness

Sports Nutrition: Eating For Exercise and Fitness

Have you ever wondered what you should eat to get the most of your workouts? And what about fueling before/after a workout? If so, you are going to love the conversation I had with Mary Teunis, a fellow personal trainer and nutrition coach.

Mary is a former competitive gymnast and a CrossFit competitor who knows first-hand how important it is to fuel your body for optimal performance. In this interview, we dive into all sorts of sports nutrition topics to give you some actionable tips for eating for exercise and fitness.

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Rebranding Announcement: Full Circuit Fitness & Nutrition

Rebranding Announcement: Full Circuit Fitness & Nutrition

I began my health coaching business as a sole proprietor and recently took the step to become an LLC. With that change, I decided to call my business by something other than my personal name to reflect the work I do and the direction I want my business to take. And so, Full Circuit Fitness & Nutrition was born.

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How To Prevent A Downward Holiday Eating Spiral At Thanksgiving
Relationship with Food Amy Barnette Relationship with Food Amy Barnette

How To Prevent A Downward Holiday Eating Spiral At Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can be a pretty stressful holiday. Not only is COVID-19 causing it to look very different this year, but it is also a holiday that largely revolves around food. The focus on the feast can leave many of us feeling anxious and fearful about overindulging and triggering a downward spiral of overeating between now and the new year.

If you find yourself worried about the holidays, read on for a few things you can do to prevent yourself from sliding down that slippery overindulging slope.

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Healthy One-Pot Dinners: 5 Go-To Meals For Busy Weeknights
Simple Healthy Recipes Amy Barnette Simple Healthy Recipes Amy Barnette

Healthy One-Pot Dinners: 5 Go-To Meals For Busy Weeknights

One of my favorite ways to cook is all in one pot. Whether I use the crockpot, the instant pot or a pot on the stove, I love when my cooking efforts wind up creating a complete meal. This way I don’t have to think about making a bunch of extra sides or doing a bunch of extra dishes. I particularly dig the one-pot meals that make good leftovers so that you can cook once and eat multiple times.

Read on to discover 5 of my favorite healthy one-pot dinners. In order to make the cut, they needed to meet the following criteria:

  • Simple and easy to make.

  • Provide a healthy balance of slowly-digesting carbs, high-quality protein and healthy fats.

  • Easy to double/triple and taste good as leftovers.

  • Made with clean, whole, nutrient-dense ingredients.

  • Made in one pot to make clean up a cinch.

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Using MCTs And MCT Oil To Boost Your Health
Health and Nutrition Amy Barnette Health and Nutrition Amy Barnette

Using MCTs And MCT Oil To Boost Your Health

Curious about MCTs and MCT oil?

MCTs are pretty hot on the nutrition scene now. They are a special type of fat and the theory is that they are metabolized differently from other fats. It is believed they can curb cravings, help boost your metabolism, decrease gut inflammation and improve brain function.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of using MCTs and MCT oil to boost your health and meet your wellness goals.

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The Ultimate Guide To Creating A Healthy Kitchen: Breakfast Edition
Health and Nutrition Amy Barnette Health and Nutrition Amy Barnette

The Ultimate Guide To Creating A Healthy Kitchen: Breakfast Edition

All healthy habits are created through consistent practice and repetition. So if we want breakfast to be one of our healthy habits, then we must consistently prepare a good breakfast and actually eat it.

However, this can be easier said than done on a daily basis. Particularly if your mornings get hectic and you are often short on time. One of the best things you can do when it comes to putting yourself in a position to start your day with a balanced breakfast is having a well-stocked kitchen.

This guide will ensure that your kitchen is stocked so that you can whip together a healthy breakfast on the fly and in a pinch.

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Create Healthy Eating Habits: A Health Coach's Top Tip

Create Healthy Eating Habits: A Health Coach's Top Tip

Starting each day with a balanced breakfast is one of the very best health and wellness habits you can adopt. Explore how eating breakfast will set you up to make supportive and nourishing food choices all day long. Plus, learn how to build a healthy breakfast and fill your recipe collection with simple, balanced and very nutritious breakfast ideas!

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Strategy #5: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide
Relationship with Food Amy Barnette Relationship with Food Amy Barnette

Strategy #5: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide

Address Your Stress

Our health is greatly determined by how balanced the two branches of our autonomic nervous system are - the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Chronic stress causes most people to spend more time with the sympathetic nervous system dominate and active. This post outlines several ways to address your stress and bring your autonomic nervous system into balance.

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Strategy #4: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide
Relationship with Food Amy Barnette Relationship with Food Amy Barnette

Strategy #4: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide

Rest and Repair

Our culture teaches us that we must push ourselves into the ground in order to get results and achieve success. I fell for this belief hook, line and sinker. But this philosophy also broke my body. In this post, I share how chronic stress took a toll on my health and also offer an invitation to challenge this long-standing cultural norm and redefine what it means to work hard.

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Strategy #1: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide
Relationship with Food Amy Barnette Relationship with Food Amy Barnette

Strategy #1: Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide

Create A Schedule. But One That Works For You.

This is a time of uncertainty and many unknowns. Both of which are incredibly stressful. So it makes total and complete sense that you might feel nudged to snack more often than usual right now. One of the best ways I have found to counter the unsettling feelings that accompany uncertainty, is to purposely and intentionally create certainty where you can. And one super simple way to do this is to establish a quarantine schedule.

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Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide
Relationship with Food Amy Barnette Relationship with Food Amy Barnette

Your Quarantine Stress Eating Survival Guide

The desire to mindlessly snack and emotionally eat has increased substantially since our COVID-19 quarantine began. I have found myself looking in the pantry and refrigerator on a pretty regular basis these last few days. I am not physically hungry but I am stressed, overwhelmed and incredibly antsy. And I am wanting a distraction.

As most of us know, food can definitely provide that distraction for us. However, the relief we experience is only temporary. Not to mention, it is usually followed by varying degrees of guilt, shame and/or overeating. How is it that one mindless pretzel can, oh so easily, turn into the entire bag?!

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Boost Your Immunity From The Inside Out
Health and Nutrition Amy Barnette Health and Nutrition Amy Barnette

Boost Your Immunity From The Inside Out

In light of the recent events, I thought I share an excerpt from an article that one of my health conscious friends shared last night on Facebook. It's worth the read and reinforces that eating a plant strong diet is one of the very best things we can do to boost our immunity during this time of uncertainty. And regardless if the hype is exaggerated or not, I think we could all benefit by strengthening our immune systems.

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