Tag: nutrition

What Moves You? Find Your “Why” for Plant-Based Wellness.

Posted on by militantvegan

In today’s demanding world—juggling work, life, and family—finding the motivation and discipline for consistent health can feel impossible. That’s why relying on fleeting desire is a mistake. The key to turning wellness into a lifestyle is finding your profound WHY—the purpose that trumps everything else.

I’ve been a fitness and nutrition coach for over 20 years. I’ve seen countless people struggle because they focus only on the workout, ignoring the deeper purpose and the importance of plant-based nutrition. Even as a lifelong trainer, I have days I don’t want to be in the gym!

So, what has kept me focused on my health for over three decades? I know my why: I value being strong, functional, and fueling my body with the cleanest vegan protein. That powerful combination always outweighs my lack of desire on a bad day.

As the face of The Militant Vegan, my personal commitment reinforces our brand’s mission: promoting clean ingredients and a clean planet.

That’s my story. Your trick is to find yours.

  • Is your WHY the pursuit of longevity and having the energy to stay active with your kids?
  • Is it the commitment to a plant-based lifestyle that aligns with your ethical and environmental values?
  • Is it finding the purest, best-tasting protein powder to support your recovery and daily energy?

Most long-term wellness success stories share one defining trait: they deeply understand and appreciate the positive impact their choices—from their workouts to their protein—have on their quality of life.

Take the time to reflect and discover what truly drives you. Once you connect your health choices to a deeper purpose, you won’t need motivation; you’ll have untapped discipline and fulfillment.

If you haven’t been asking yourself already—What is YOUR why for choosing clean?

Are You Consistent Enough To Make A Difference?

Posted on by Steve Hess

I earned my black belt in Dec 2015, and due to life circumstances after a year or two, although I was training, it was not under the instructor who black belted me.
Thus he was not there to break down my technique.

Over the last couple of years, the new training dynamic has been bugging me.

So

I decided to show up to my instructor’s early morning class.

Despite us not training together, he heard what I was doing with Jiu-jitsu thru the grapevine.

During my first class back, he surprised me by asking me about getting my 2nd rank as a black belt.

My first reaction was a complete surprise, and I immediately felt I wasn’t worthy to receive the rank.

I immediately told my instructor that I had not been training as much.
He promptly told me that I was still progressing and continuing to spread the art by teaching it to others despite my limited training.

I have always had that outlook with training, not being too concerned with the merit but how training makes you better at what you are training.

Many people tend to focus on the outcome rather than the process that gets you there.

I view diet and training as similar to martial arts.

You see many program tag lines like losing 15 lbs in 30 days or whatever the metric.

My question is, let’s say you lose 15 lbs in 30 days.

Then what?

Do you stop or create another goal that is an adjustment to your original plan that you achieved?

This is the correct mindset if you want to stay with something long-term.
Whether it’s running, weight training, martial arts, or all of the above, I encourage you to find an exercise
that you enjoy.

No matter what the endeavor, consistency is going to be king

You can’t fail if you don’t give up, and if you keep showing up, it will pay you off in ways you least expected.

If consistency has been an issue for you and you want a roadmap to more confidence, energy, and feeling better overall send me a reply how I can help.

Understand Macros and Your Metabolic Rate to Help Maintain Your Weight!

Posted on by Steve Hess

Many of you may have heard the term “macros” or have been asked “what are your macros?” and had no clue what that means. Don’t worry most people don’t.

It sounds scientific but once you learn the basics…it’s easy to understand.

Macros are the breakdown in percentages of the three primary macro nutrients in your diet: fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

Someone on a low carb or keto diet typically has a macro breakdown of 45% of protein, 45% of fat, and 5% carbohydrates for their daily diet.

A person eating a more normal diet in carbs and wants to build muscle and lose fat could have a daily macro split of 40% carbohydrates, 30% Protein, and 25% fat.

You can adjust your macro ratios based on your goals and what works for your lifestyle.

Let’s take the macro concept further and apply it to your resting metabolic rate or RMR.

Your RMR measures how many calories you burn while in a resting state. It has many variables such as age, lean body mass, and genetics.

The Harris and Benedict Formula is a widely used formula to calculate your RMR:

  • Men – 88.362 + (13.397 × weight in kg) + (4.799 × height in cm) – (5.677 × age in years)
  • Women – 447.593 + (9.247 × weight in kg) + (3.098 × height in cm) – (4.330 × age in years)

Once you calculate your RMR, you can apply this number to your macro goals or what your ratio should be.

For example, let’s say your RMR is 1500 calories, and you burn another 1000 calories through daily activities such as walking to your car, exercising, brushing your teeth, etc.

The 1000 calories you burned plus your RMR is your Active Metabolic Rate or AMR.
1000 Active Calories+1500 RMR = 2500 Calories AMR

If my goal is weight loss, I need to be at a caloric deficit, meaning burning more calories than I take in.

Based on my current AMR of 2500 calories, I need to set my diet to have less than 2500 daily calories.

You can play with how much of a caloric deficit you want rest at, but for this example, I set my daily calories at 2000.

I am burning 500 calories more than I consume daily.

An excellent macro ratio for a 2000 calorie diet would be 40% carbohydrates (800 calories), 35% Protein (700 calories), and 25% Fat (500 calories).

Over time as you lose weight, your body will adjust and burn fewer calories, so adjustments will be needed as you progress.

There are also many variables with weight loss and muscle building, such as age, genetics, sleep habits, and stress levels.

Nevertheless, you can see how some raw numbers, such as RMR and macro ratios, can set the foundation for a diet conducive to your goals.

Remember, consistency over the long run adds up to results.

I wish you all good health.

Is your Food Environment Conducive to Your Success

Posted on by Steve Hess

I was having a nutrition conversation with a client the other day who is about a month into his program

He was telling me how he come to realize how much bad food we are exposed to daily

He said before starting his regimen, he never really thought about food and having a mindful approach to his diet

He just ate what was there

Tv ads, work, family, and going retail shopping are all scenarios we get exposed to inferior quality food products

The more you’re exposed…the higher the chance you’re going to eat it

Can you think of an instance when you purchased something after you received several ads for that product?

It’s marketing 101, and food companies are masterful on knowing how to get you to buy their product

I always preach an environment that is set up for you to succeed

You need to be aware of your choices daily and have the right mindset to operate above these daily temptations

Once you become present with your food choices and have a purpose with your diet, many of the daily temptations with food tend to subside

There is a synergistic effect when the right diet, training plan, and mindset come together

You start to go on autopilot, and old bad habits fade away

The client I was having this conversation with mentioned he doesn’t have the urges or triggers with food as he did a month ago

He has progressed to where he is becoming educated on what he should be eating, how to structure macros accordingly, and being present with his food choices

He said he has the confidence and mindset to say no to bad foods… because he now eats with a purpose and realizes his old diet doesn’t fit with his new self

If this sounds familiar and you need help with your diet, training, mindset, or all of the above, reach out for a consultation

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