logotype
logotype

No products in the cart.

healthy choices Tag
Home Posts Tagged "healthy choices"

Tag: healthy choices

blogChoicesclean eatingdietEastereatcleanExercisefamilyfeel goodhappyhealthyHealthy TipsholidaysINNOVATIONKetovationLifestyleMotivationPassover
April 12, 2022By Josephine Fitzpatrick

EASTER & PASSOVER – WHEN AM I CHEATING?

PREPARE FOR THE HOLDIAYS

Whether you are celebrating Passover – Easter or both! – you want to incorporate your Cheat day into your celebrations. Here are some helpful tips:

CHEATING MORE THAN ONE DAY: Split your Cheat day and do Cheat Meals. Instead of having Saturday as your Cheat Day – do Friday night and Saturday night – back on program Sunday. Or you can do Saturday night and Sunday night back on program Monday. Any two nights you want to do cheat meals instead of a whole day. You want to have cheat meal dessert and drinks (optional). Remember when you split your cheat day it’s one less day of the week you have to lose weight.

CHEATING ONE DAY: If you know you are cheating only one day you always have the option to keep your Cheat Day to one day. One cheat day a week will always give you the best results. But only do this if you are certain that you are not going to be tempted at other holiday celebrations.

VACATION: If you are going on vacation – do not cheat before you go. Stay on program and pick one cheat each day to enjoy while on vacation. Any meal – dessert or drinks. You choose each day one thing that you want to indulge and enjoy. This will help you maintain the week. If you want to lose while on vacation then you must stick to your One Cheat day a week and stay on program on Vacation. Sounds hard? It’s not as hard as you think

EXAMPLE:

  • Egg whites for Breakfast
  • Grilled chicken salad for lunch
  • veggies and hummus at the pool or beach
  • Fish and veggies for dinner
  • choose your dessert whether it’s a drink or fruit

If you want more than this then you should be prepared to maintain or possibly gain. Remember your actions = results.

PASSOVER CHOICES:

INCORPORATE PASSOVER CHOICES IN YOUR DAY

BREAKFAST & LUNCH CHOICES YOU CAN INCORPORATE PASSOVER WEEK:

• MATZAH-2 Matzah with 1tbsp of peanut, almondor SunButter, or 1/2avocado

• MATZAH AND FRUIT: 1 Matzah with 1 tsp of pb or sunbather with 1 piece of fruit

• MATZAH AND EGGS- one Matzah with 3-4 egg whites and 1 cup of veggies

• ANY Kosher Meat no sauce no marinate no butter

• Light tuna or chicken salad or egg white salad with 1 matzah

• Chubby Potato: 1 large white potato or sweet potato with 1 cup of veggies on top and 1/4 cup of cheese and bake 🙂

• 1/2 cup park skim Cottage cheese with 1 cup of fruit 

• Popcorn

• 15-20 Any nuts

• Think Thin Bar

• Matzoh ball soup without the Matzoh ball

• 2 slices of low fat cheese or 1 light part skim cheese stick with 1 Matzah

 • non fat greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of berries

• 1 cup of any berries with 2 tbsp of cool whip

 

 

INNOVATION FOOD AND PASSOVER:

1) IF YOU are NOT STRICT and ALLOW FLOUR FROM OUR VEGETABLE PROTEIN you can have anything in the store

2) STRICT – NO WHEAT OR ANY KIND OF FLOUR

— All our Gluten Free Muffins, GF Cookies and GF Bagels

— Our Entire Ketovation line contains no wheat or flour 

Cauliflower Pizza

Turkey Taco

Chicken Salad

Tuna Salad

Sweet potato fries

Tomato Soup

Broccoli cheddar soup

Bisque Soup

Pudding

Rice Sticks and Hockey Puck Rounds

Chocolate mousse cake, & Cheese Cake & Gummy Bites

All Innovation nuts regular, chocolate and mixed

Popcorn

Licorice

Detox

The Staff of Innovation wishes everyone a healthy happy Holiday 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Read More
blogChoicesclean eatingeatcleanfamilyfeel goodgoalshappyHealthy TipsLifestyleMotivationweight loss
February 1, 2022By Josephine Fitzpatrick

FEBRUARY GOALS

HELLO FEBRUARY:

February is one of those months that arrive fast and exit even faster. And yet so much is going on in such a short month. We have Valentines day and President’s day weekend and Winter Break. So much fun so little time! 

LET’S TALK ABOUT GOALS:

The beginning of the month is the best time to plan for your goals. Take a look back at January – did you accomplish all you wanted? If not – why? Be honest with yourself because at the end of the day you are only hurting yourself with excuses.   

FEBRUARY GOALS:

Before you make your February goals – make sure whatever goals you choose they include what is going to make you happy. Make sure you are making them for the right reasons. Because in order for you to reach your goals they have to mean something to you. Because when they mean something to you that is when you will do everything you possibly can to reach them. 

Start by deciding what your goals are and then think about how much do they mean to you. How hard are you going to work for them. Always remember making goals is the easy part – putting the action and work into achieving them is the hard part. We all want success – but actually doing the work is what creates the success. And when it comes to weight loss it’s as much mental work as it is physical. When you make those goals you have to include being willing to with walk away from temptation and being okay with eating less and dealing with those little hunger pangs. It’s not just “I want to lose weight” it’s about everything that goes along with losing weight. It’s hard work. But if you really put 100% thought into this and you tell yourself everyday how important it is to you – then you will achieve it. Because our mind is so powerful we can believe anything we tell it to – but of course that road goes both ways. Always remember it takes just as much energy to be negative as it does to be positive. 

CLIENT STORY:

I would like to tell you about one of my clients. She is a young mom of 3 who was overweight at 180 pounds. When she first came to me she was sure she wasn’t going to be able to lose weight. She was very depressed. She tried every quick fix diet and felt completely defeated. I explained none of that mattered – what was important right at that moment was that I was going to hold her hand throughout the program – all she had to do was trust me and trust herself and if she was really willing to work for this as much as she said she was – then we would do great. 

She started in September and now February 1 she is down 52lbs. Some months she lost more than others but even through holiday months she always had weight loss. What was most amazing was she never gave up. She worked so hard every week to stay on program – even with the temptations that were in front of her everyday. She always remembered what was important to her and what she wanted most of all was to feel great by Winter Break because her family was going away and she said her last trip she was so miserable and insecure and wore cover – ups the whole time. She said it ruined her trip and she ended up comforting herself with food the whole time. She was so tired of that feeling.   

One of the reasons I am telling you this story is because I think it’s so important to understand and really think about goals. She didn’t just WANT this she was willing to put the work in day after day and week after week. This trip kept her motivated throughout. For her It was more than just the weight loss. She said she avoided stores and places to go to because she didn’t feel good about herself. She was upset with herself because she felt 20 years older than her age and she didn’t know what to do about it. For her it was so much more about her confidence and this winter break all she wanted was to walk on the beach in her bathing suit and feel confident. We recently did a phone call and she cried and said to me — she never really understood how unhappy she was in her body until the weight loss. She said she knew she wasn’t comfortable in her body but didn’t realize how unhappy it made her. And only when she lost the weight and became really comfortable in her skin again — was when she knew how much this all really meant to her. She felt truly happy. — and that is something we forget. Happiness isn’t a thing – it’s a feeling. And maybe her goal wasn’t really about weight loss it was about feeling happy again. 

I think one of the most important points of this story is it’s not just about the number on the scale. It’s not about a size of clothes. This is about not settling for less than what you deserve because it’s easy. This is about not telling yourself that you did your best if you really didn’t or that you are happy if you know deep down that you are not. This is about digging down deep and working extra hard for something that means everything and that could even be potentially life changing for you. Yes im talking about weight loss but this can apply to anything in your life that you know you haven’t worked hard enough for. And while it may sound silly to some – I mean how can weight loss be life changing? Well waking up and going from feeling unhappy to feeling happy everyday is life changing. Those of you who have gained and lost weight know exactly what I am talking about. It’s life changing when you feel comfortable in your body and how much confidence you suddenly have because you feel good in everything you put on. When you feel good in your body everything changes for you. You feel healthy, energetic, you love to get up and get dressed. It can make the smallest things in life feel exciting. All because you are taking care of yourself and doing the right things.  When you think about it. It’s really not too much to ask of yourself. I mean just by doing the right things and making the right choices you get to live a life in a body that makes you feel HAPPY everyday. And that is life changing to a lot of people. 

Whatever your goals for February are – make sure they = happiness 
Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
Read More
blogeatcleanExercisefamilyfeel goodgoalshealthyHealthy TipsKetovationLifestyleMotivationweight loss
September 21, 2021By Josephine Fitzpatrick

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

INNOVATION OR KETOVATION
It doesn’t matter which one you are on
as long as you are following something. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
 
Now that we are a few weeks in I can tell you that both programs are showing amazing results. The key is you just have to follow something.  Because there is truly no better feeling than being in control of how you are feeling and that is exactly what all the Innovation programs are about – being in control so you feel your best inside and out. For me there is really nothing better than seeing a client change before my eyes. Within days they go from being a little scared if they will stick to it —  to being 100% committed and excited for their weekly results.   Listen, most of us have two options we either do nothing and stay where we are and continue to gain —  or we put the work in and feel so much better in how we look, think, feel and act.  Results are always up to you. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
 
Fall is right around the corner and the freshness of the days fill the air when you are feeling your healthy best.  While of course we want to see the weight loss and we want to be in skinny jeans and smaller sweaters –  it’s also very much about how great you feel when you are in control of what you are doing.  It’s truly life changing to know that all the planning – preparing and following through is not only giving you the weight loss you want but also making you feel that you are in total control of what you are doing and total control of how you are feeling.  I can’t say it enough – when you over eat, over drink, and carelessly go through life splurging it will affect not only your body and weight but more importantly it affects mentally how you feel. It affects your mood!   When nothing fits you and you feel bloated – you don’t want to get dressed, you don’t want to go out.  Yet, when you feel good mentally and physically you are making sure you see everyone in your path! [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
 
Being in control of your health even affects your stress and anxiety.  Studies have proven when you are in control of your food and health your anxiety and stress levels decrease significantly.  Many of us know this to be true because let’s face it – when you are in a good place physically and mentally, eating on program, and you can literally fit in everything in your closet – those are the days you feel like you can accomplish anything that comes on your path.  But when you are not in a good place and not doing the right things and are living in sweatpants because nothing else fits you – well those are the days that the smallest problems can feel like the biggest. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
So happy to be back:  It has been truly so amazing being back in the store and seeing clients one on one again.  Many new and returning clients have put quarantine and summer weight behind them and started a new healthy path on their exciting new body.  What I want for all of you is to remember each day how good you feel when you are doing the right thing.  Set your goals and visualize what you want to look like when October, November and December come around and we all know how quickly they will arrive.  Be proud of yourself that while so many will just be starting then you will already have weeks and months into it. You will not be the one who looks back and says why didn’t I start – you will be the person who looks back and think “I’m doing it and I never felt better.”   [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
 
Final thoughts:   Don’t give up. We all have hard days but you have to push through them to get to easy days.  Like everything else in life weight loss is no different – what you want always comes down to how hard you are willing to work for it.  Be excited for what you are capable of! Im super excited for all of you. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]
Always Be Grateful For Where You Are 
But Super Excited For Where You Are Going
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
Read More
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
April 16, 2018By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Choose Your Week

 

Are you going to be a SNAIL – a TURTLE – or a SHARK.  

 

SNAILS – move very slowly and have some temporary stops along the way – but always in the right direction
TURTLE – moves faster than a snail, in the right direction and doesn’t stop until it get to its destination
SHARKS – the amazing shark is full speed ahead. Always does the right thing and in the right direction and never lets anyone or anything get in its way. 
 

 

Whether you decide to be a SNAIL, TURTLE or a SHARK this week the scale will move. How hard you work will decide your results. Sometimes you might always be a snail or sometimes always a shark. Most people fluctuate from a snail to a shark. And then we have those who are always turtles and they are happy being a turtle – and that’s okay too. They get to their destination a lot slower than a shark but faster than a snail and they are always moving. The one thing you DO NOT WANT TO BE is a SLUG. Slugs get nowhere and people step on them or over them constantly. While everyone else is getting to their destination, slugs are always in the same place – crying about where they want to be but not putting the effort into getting there.  That’s NOT who you are or who you want to be.

 

One thing I know for sure. Whether you decide to be a Snail, a Turtle or a Shark – if you get right back on program TODAY and follow your menu – tomorrow you will feel better, mid week back in control, and by the end of the week when it’s 70 degrees again you will feel amazing. And you will be so so happy you have a solid 110% clean week behind you. When you have control over what you are doing you feel your best. When you follow your program you get that lighter, happier, healthier feeling that is just an amazing place to be, especially knowing that summer is around the corner. It’s April – and if you start now you can have what you want and feel amazing this summer. Work hard and you will get the best results. What you do and how hard you for for your goals is always your choice.

 

 
THIS WEEK YOU WILL
SNAIL IT, TURTLE IT, OR SHARK IT 
BUT YOU WON’T SLUG IT!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10016
Read More
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
June 14, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Don’t Just Do The Program – Live It!

 

Just when you think you have it all under control – a busy end of the week comes along and throws you right off your path. Don’t worry, you are not alone. This is such a busy time of year with camp, proms, graduations. There is celebration after celebration and you are trying to be so good but feel the weakness of the struggle. This is when you really need to be your strongest because if you give in there may be no return and that is simply not an option before summer begins. When you live the program, you learn that you can have maintain weeks when it’s busy. That doesn’t mean you treat every day like a Cheat Day or even have a Cheat meal. It means that maybe you had an extra on program snack or two? A little hungrier day and you had an extra mini meal or maybe your food wasn’t as clean as you would have liked but you did your best. We all have busy times and we have to allow for them and learn that the best way to get through them is to not just do the program but learn to live the program and be okay with maintain days when you need them. Sometimes just being okay with it and giving yourself permission is all you really need to stay on program.

 

If you have come back to the program, are starting new or if you have been on but losing your way –  then you need grab hold of it ASAP before it controls you. You have to remember and remind yourself how unhappy you are when you are not doing the right things. One client who recently got back on program said, “You are so right – when you are doing the right things and eating the right foods you feel so good, in control and just better!” You have that control feeling of knowing what you are doing. You go to bed feeling a little hungry and wake up feeling amazing. When we know this, you have to wonder what makes us so easily go to the dark side. But the answer is simple. There is so much temptation around you at all times it’s so easy to go off in the wrong direction. When you are super busy with work, family, school ….  it’s even easier to fall prey to what’s around you – and when you don’t own it because you don’t think it really affected you – it’s like a delayed reaction. First, you got away with it, no real damage. Then, you do it again and before you know it you are 10 pounds heavier from that one “off” day. Contrary to what many think – it doesn’t really come on faster than it comes off. It just feels that way.  Because it is a delay and by the time we see the real affects of it we are already 5-10lbs up. You must grab hold of it before you lose control.

 

If you feel the struggle here are some tips to help you:

 

1. LIVE THE PROGRAM:  Don’t get into the habit of going off and on program, you will end up with more Cheat Days then clean days. In order to live the program there are no “do overs” or “starting fresh” it’s just a continuation of your life. You had an unexpected Cheat Day? Then that becomes your Cheat Day, you don’t just start again. If you eat extra in a day but still keep to on program foods then you call it a Maintain Day. When you get to a great number you don’t just start going back to your old habits, you continue on with the program. Six days clean and one day to indulge should be your way of life.

 

2. PLAN PLAN PLAN:  I can’t say it enough but if you plan your days before you start them you have a 99% chance of sticking to them. Don’t go through the day just not eating or trying to wing it – because once you start eating you won’t stop. If you feel that you can get through the day okay but your nights are sabotaging you? Then save your snacks for night time when you need them. Remember to plan what you are doing when you get home. If you know that you come home and raid the pantry then plan a different routine when you get home. Come home and go for a walk, jump in the pool or take a shower! It may sound silly but once you break your habit that sabotages you, that is all it takes to have better results. Do anything other than your usual walk in the door head and for the pantry.

 

3. CHOOSE YOUR HARD: Is it harder for you to walk away from the food or get on the scale the next morning and see an unhappy number? Is it harder to go to bed a little hungry or wake up feeling bloated and swollen. Everyone has a choice and even though at the moment you may think one is harder- when you really think it you may surprise yourself at what is not only harder but more upsetting for you. THINK – CHOOSE – DO!

 

4. OWN YOUR MISHAPS: If you ate it – own it. The very worst thing you can do is try and fool yourself because that isn’t hurting anyone but you. Don’t compromise – don’t conveniently “forget.” Own it and move on. If you find that you went off for a meal, a day or a night – don’t starve yourself to try and make yourself feel better because it will only backfire on you. If you go off for any reason – keep it simple and  just get right back on.  It’s not the end of the world – it’s life and it will happen. The most important thing is what you do after it happens. Remember – there is no magic pill to make it go away. The only thing you can do is own up to the fact that it will take you a little longer to get to where you want to be. And maybe owning the thought that it will take you longer is exactly what you need to prevent it from happening again.

 

If you are on your game and doing amazing – stay there!!!  Remember how hard you have worked to get to where you are and constantly remind yourself how easily control can get away from you – stay mindful. Only you have the power and determination to stay on program and continue to do the right things. It’s always good to look at where you started and where you are now. Even if you are not where you want to be yet, you have to celebrate your success and enjoy the journey. Weight loss is HARD! And when you are doing amazing you have to be proud yourself and feel good about your accomplishments every day. Find the positive in your changes and celebrate them by feeling good.

 

If you have been struggling THE GOOD NEWS IS IT’S NEVER TOO LATE! If you want it and it really means that much to you then you need to do it. It has to become a way of life for you and when you treat it like that you will see the changes and you will keep the changes. And even if you have off times in between you will maintain AND not gain – that’s when you know you are not just doing it you are living it.

 


TODAY START BY LIVING THE PROGRAM

 

Staying mindful about what you want and what you are willing to do to get there
   Owning what you did and CONTINUE on program to GET BACK to feeling good 
DO NOT WRITE YOUR OWN RULES – listen and follow the ones you know that work for you

 

Enjoy the Journey because it’s amazing when you are putting the work in and FEELING GREAT about who you are and how you look and feel.  

 

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE BUT FEARLESS FOR WHAT YOU WANT!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
Read More
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
March 2, 2016By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Don’t Get Derailed

 

When trying to make a change and push for healthy decisions and a healthy lifestyle, following through on those choices can be a daily battle. At the beginning of the day or the beginning of the week we feel motivated and positive, but as time goes on there are many obstacles and challenges that can derail us. The most common ways that we struggle can pop up at any time but with a little preparation and planning we can set ourselves up for success. 

 

Between families, work, long days, busy schedules and social events, most of us would say that we usually feel tired during the week. We all know that mid afternoon slow down where we look for something to pick us up. But what does being tired have to do with weight loss? When we are slowing down we look for caffeine and sugar to give us a boost – which usually comes in the form of coffee, soda and snacks. It is possible to satisfy that afternoon craving while staying on plan but we usually crave something sugary, salty or fatty to fill us up. Make sure you have a healthy snack or plan that you can turn to when you reach a low. When we are tired we also feel unmotivated and vulnerable so we just want to eat whatever is quick and easy – even if it isn’t healthy – which is another reason to have a healthy plan that is easily accessible. Doing that little bit of planning and prep work when you have the time and energy will save you later when you are tired or in a rush. We all want to do the right thing, so make it easier for yourself to follow through.

 

In our daily lives we are constantly tempted to eat and drink things that we know aren’t healthy but sometimes when we are at a social event or special occasion we want to give in. Birthdays, parties, anniversaries, celebrations, holidays and other special events can happen any day of the year and even when we do our best to plan ahead they can still pop up unexpectedly. During any of these happy occasions we are faced with cake, drinks and special meals and treats and it’s up to you to decide if it’s really worth it to indulge. If you can plan ahead, you can always bring a healthy dish to a dinner or party, or you can look at a menu ahead of time to pick a healthy meal to order if you are going out. But sometimes plans are made last minute and we find ourselves in a tricky situation. We can feel like we don’t have control when this happens, but you always have the power to make the right choices. Take it slow and don’t just give in to a craving or indulgence because it is right in front of you. Take your time and think about what really matters to you – indulging in the moment or reaching a healthy goal.

 

Feeling like we don’t have options is a common reason why we sometimes make the wrong decisions. We think we are backed into a corner so we make a choice and then later we regret it. Sometimes we have to put in the extra effort to plan and prep to make sure we have the healthy options we need, or sometimes we just have to say no. Sometimes we want to tell ourselves that we didn’t have a choice but we always do. We have to own our decisions so we make sure they are right for us.

 

No one is perfect and we all struggle, but fighting through the ups and downs to reach a goal makes it that much more of a satisfying accomplishment.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

Read More